Magical Machinery and Reincarnated Rescues
by Loopstagirl
Summary: The Once and Future King has risen again. But Merlin has an even bigger destiny for him this time. One that involves helping International Rescue to save the world.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing at all, no matter what fandom you are recognising.**

**Well, where do I start? This is my 100th story being posted on here, and I wanted to try something a little different for it. I couldn't decide between aiming it at the lovely Merlin lot, or the supportive Thunderbird lot. So I figured why not do both?**

**Warning now that the updates might not be to regular for this. But you both either have or are about to have stories for each fandom anyway, so I'm hoping you'll let me get away with this one.**

**Thunderbirds lot know my awesome and fantastic beta anyway, but for the Merlin lot, you won't have my normal mistakes that you are used to. Bee, thank you!**

**And so, without any further ado...**

* * *

Merlin choked back a laugh as he heard a loud crash followed by a thud and a cursing voice.

"Arthur?"

There was no answer, just another bout of swearing that caused the warlock to let loose his mirth. For fifteen hundred years he had walked the earth alone, wondering if Albion was ever going to have the need to have her rightful king return once again. He had all but given up hope, convinced himself that he had just wandered for years with no real purpose. Lifetime after lifetime he had grown close to people, only to lose them to his nemesis of time. It wouldn't claim him like it did those around him, wouldn't let him escape beyond this world and be with the ones that he loved again. Merlin was ashamed to admit that he had let himself go a little in this lifetime, knowing that nothing serious would happen to him because his magic was just as active now as it had been hundreds of years ago.

Only, something serious _had_ happened this lifetime. He had felt it before he had even known precisely what it was he was feeling. But he didn't have to waitlong to find out. Only a week after his magic started acting up, a group of young adults moved into town. Tugged in that direction by his power, Merlin had practically passed out at finding himself face to face with Gwen. Not only her body, but her spirit as well. Once he had recovered enough, the others had appeared: Lancelot, Elyan, Gwaine and Leon had all been there. Lancelot was a doctor, Elyan a mechanic. Gwaine had stayed with his fighting spirit and joined the army, whilst Leon was a teacher and Gwen a nurse. But it was as if something had just clicked with them, and finding each other had revealed their memories. Merlin had always worried about what would happen if that had been the case, but actually it was almost an anti-climax. They just woke up one day and knew, and found they had already accepted that fact.

But just as Merlin became used to the idea that his friends were back, they revealed that someone else had returned. Percival had been forced to knock Merlin out to stop him killing Morgana on the spot, and it was only because she wasn't there when he awoke again that he had listened to what the others had to say. Apparently Gwaine, too, had tried to kill her when they had first met, but when the once-witch had begged him to, saying it was no more than she deserved, he hadn't been able to. Claiming that it was just because he thought it was a better punishment for her to live, they had spared her. Morgana had no powers in this life, fate was making her pay for her past crimes. But during their journey to Merlin, she had become part of the group. It took Merlin months before he was able to think of her as a friend again, remember her the way she was rather than the witch responsible for Arthur's death. But eventually they had moved on, and Merlin now considered her to be a friend.

Yet Arthur didn't appear.

More people from their past gradually emerged, some staying nearby, some moving on. It was as if Merlin's magic was drawing them all to the area. Will and Freya hadn't remembered who they had once been, but considering their tragic endings and the fact that they had now found happiness with each other, Merlin had just let his magic tempt them away from this area. He didn't want them hurt, not again. Morgause and Cendred also didn't seem to remember, and Merlin had his magic cause absolute hell for the newlyweds until they went. Morgana had found it rather amusing to watch, but Merlin refused to let them stay and twist his friend again.

The reasoning behind their return seemed to gradually make itself apparent as disaster after disaster shook the world. The authorities and rescue services were doing all that they could in order to try and aid people, but it didn't seem to matter what they tried or how advanced their machinery was, it wasn't enough. Nothing could be enough to stand against Mother Nature, and Merlin knew that this was the hand of destiny again. He tried to do what he could, a little magic here and there to keep those around him safe. But even his magic couldn't deal with something of this scale; he knew that they needed a miracle.

And then, just one average Tuesday afternoon, that miracle had arrived.

They all tried to keep their lives as normal as possible, but also found they were meeting up often. There were too many emotions flying around the group for them to just pretend that they didn't know each other. Merlin had arrived late that day, over the moon about the fact Gwaine could still make it even though he was being shipped abroad within the next few days. His spirits had been high and there had been a grin on his face.

But the grin had disappeared just as quickly as it had emerged.

It was as if he had been punched in the chest, all the air being driven from him the second he saw his friends. Gwen had timidly asked him if he was okay, stating that he had gone pale and he should sit down before he fell down. But Morgana had taken one look at him and shoved him towards the door, seeming to realise that it was his magic that was acting up rather than a physical ailment. Merlin didn't need to think about where he was going, he just ran full pelt towards a nearby lake. It wasn't just any lake, however, but _the _one. Merlin never had intended to go far from Arthur, no matter what.

Skidding to a halt and clutching his side, Merlin had looked up.

Just in time to see his king rising once again from the water.

At first, Merlin had been able to do nothing but drop to his knees. How long had he been waiting for Arthur to emerge? But then the situation had swiftly spiralled out of his control as he realised that Arthur already remembered everything. It was as if he had just been asleep for a night, and now that a new dawn had broken, he suddenly found himself in a whole new world.

A world in which Arthur was no longer a king.

A world in which enemies – to him, anyway – came in the form of machinery that he couldn't command with a few words and a stern look.

Merlin had taken him home, knowing that Arthur was more likely to kill himself than be of any use if he was left to wander the streets alone. It had taken him long enough to get his head around the idea of cars, let alone the fact that people didn't automatically move out of his way when he walked past anymore. But Merlin knew that he was getting there, especially now that it had been a few weeks.

Naturally, as soon as he had understood the concept of a car, Arthur had wanted one. The faster, the better. Judging by that crash, however, the dishwasher was still proving to be the one enemy that Arthur had yet to defeat, and the swearing indicated that he was less than happy about that.

Still, Merlin couldn't help but muse, as he flipped open his phone to let Gwaine know of the latest catastrophe and to remind the solider of his promise to stay alive, Arthur had managed to pick up the new dialogue pretty fast. Merlin wasn't sure he had ever heard someone swear so much in one sentence, but considering it was still early days for the man, he wasn't going to risk Arthur's temper by saying anything.

Some things had changed, some had not.

"You've enchanted it again, Merlin, I know you have."

"No, Arthur, it's just how it is plugged in." Merlin made sure to keep his voice neutral and to stop his former master from seeing the smile on his face. When he had first realised that Arthur remembered everything that they had been through together, he had initially panicked, thinking that now Arthur could react to the magic without the inconvenience of battling a life-threatening wound at the same time. But it seemed that Arthur had been sincere in his forgiveness and nothing had really been said about it. It hadn't escaped Merlin's notice, however, that the first few times he had used it around the house, Arthur's hand had drifted to his waist, almost as if his fingers were searching for the weapon that had once hung there. But he had always looked guilty about doing it and the habit had disappeared quickly. Merlin wasn't sure he would ever be able to say how relieved he had been.

Arthur turned, clearly to try and tell him off (old habits die hard), but his eyes drifted straight over Merlin's head.

"Arthur?" Knowing that something was troubling the ex-king by the way his brow crumpled, Merlin turned.

"Oh."

There was a small television in the kitchen, situated on the wall where Merlin had been standing. Glancing at Arthur's face, he knew that it was not the getting used to the technology that had him frowning, but rather, what it was showing. Leaning over, he flicked a switch and turned the volume up.

"…and as you can see, the trapped miners have no way out of this exit, it has completely and utterly collapsed. Whether there is another way out still remains to be seen, experts are on hand here to… Wait…." The reporter broke off, one hand touching her ear in a way Merlin knew still confused the hell out of Arthur.

"We have just heard that unidentified craft are in the area and we have reason to believe that it is the... Yes, over there! Chuck, turn the camera… Ladies and gentleman, as you can see, International Rescue is now approaching the danger zone. Thunderbird Two is landing directly behind us, if we just…" The camera made to turn, but then was stopped at the last moment. Merlin knew why though. Whoever was involved with the organisation were better at keeping secrets than even he had been back in the day. They didn't want their machines on show any more than necessary. If he was honest, Merlin understood. He knew about secrets.

The reporter moved away from the camera, but Merlin found that he was glancing over his shoulder at Arthur. The man was gripping the mug he had been trying to get into the dishwasher tightly in his hand, frowning. Merlin couldn't help but smile softly, his eyes glowing and causing a stool to gently knock into the back of the man's knees. Arthur sat without protesting, all of his attention fixed on the screen in front of him. He might have been adapting to modern life, but Merlin could see the protectiveness in his eyes, knew that it still hurt him to see people suffering, knowing that there was nothing he could do about it. At least as a king, Arthur had been able to give orders that would make a difference. Here and now, he was just a nobody, despite Merlin's belief that fate had brought him back at this time for a reason. Turning back to the television, Merlin sighed.

"Thunderbird Two has now landed and is unloading something that we believe to be called the Mole. I don't know if you can see this, but two members of the organisation are now tunnelling through the collapsed entrance. They look to be through, the machinery has stopped."

The commentary continued for half an hour until hover-jets appeared. The cameras had slowly moved round as time had progressed, making sure their movements were too small to be noticed. They had gradually got more of International Rescue's machinery into shot, however. The familiar blue-clad rescuers helped the miners over to the paramedics before disappearing behind the machinery. Merlin could sense that Arthur's attention was drifting now that it was obvious the people were going to be okay, so muted the television and turned back to face him. To his surprise, there was a small smile on his face.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"I know that look, Arthur, what is it?"

"Those guys…" He nodded towards the television, but Merlin knew that he was referring to the elusive International Rescue.

"What about them?"

"Do they ever remind you of the knights? You know, back in the day."

"_What_?"

"Oh come on, Merlin, it's not that absurd. They clearly try and protect the innocent as best as they can, and instead of having swords, they have machinery."

Merlin sighed, seeing the look in Arthur's eye and knowing what he was thinking.

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"Arthur, you know how back in Camelot, anyone who was anything had a sword? It's not the same now. They are the only ones with that kind of technology and they are the only ones who can have it. You know that we talked about this: it was like Morgana's magic against your sword, she would have to win."

"She didn't every time," Arthur muttered, but Merlin could see by the pout on Arthur's face that he was resigning himself to the fact that Merlin was right. It had taken the warlock days to explain how that sort of machinery in the wrong hands could destroy the world that Arthur was still trying to protect, despite the fact that it was not the world he had once known.

"You know my point. I'm sorry, Sire, but there is nothing you can do."

Arthur harrumphed, but fell quiet again as his eyes stayed fixed on the screen. The majority of the report was now over and the Thunderbirds had left the zone. Merlin wished them luck, whoever they were. It was as if the world was being torn apart, and they were the only ones still fighting to keep it together.

"You didn't say I was wrong though."

"About?"

"About them being like the knights. It's easy. Change their stupid uniforms into chainmail and there you go."

"Not sure they can run into a fire in chainmail, Arthur." This time, Merlin was unable to keep the smile off his face. The television crews never got too close to the rescuers – as per their request – but using his magic to take the focus just that little bit closer had revealed that they were all young men. There seemed to be five of them, as Merlin was sure the faces changed even though there was still some resemblance between them. Even so, it was enough to know that if someone was to suggest they carried out their missions in chainmail, they would be on the receiving end of a very strange look at best.

"Still don't think they should run into fires anyway. They should find a well," Arthur grumbled, standing up and stalking through to the lounge. Merlin grinned, knowing that Arthur was simply hating to be wrong about anything.

"Merlin, I want more coffee."

"Get it yourself, I'm not your servant in this life." Hearing Arthur's exclamation of annoyance had Merlin shaking his head and his eyes starting to glow. The jar floated innocently off the table and came to rest on a higher shelf, way out of Arthur's reach. There were some things that Merlin knew he shouldn't have introduced the once royal to. Whilst caffeine made him somewhat more tolerable to get up in the mornings, Merlin had swiftly discovered that it was as bad as giving Arthur something sugary, his body was still adapting to the change in the diet and it went straight to his head.

Leaving the kitchen, he sighed as he glanced towards the television again.

"Good luck, guys, whoever you are," he muttered, knowing that whatever secrets International Rescue was keeping, it was helping them save the ones they loved. That was a feeling Merlin could still relate to, no matter how many lifetimes he had lived through in order to reach this point.

-X-

"You okay?"

"Sleep… please just let me sleep…"

Virgil grinned, reaching over and ruffling Gordon's hair. His brother didn't even have the energy to bat his hand away from where he was slouched in the co-pilot seat of Thunderbird Two.

They had barely touched back into base after freeing the miners when another call had come in. Their father had wanted to turn it down, saying they couldn't possible go straight out again. It didn't help that it was a military unit which was in trouble and that was always a grey area, the organisation needing to make sure their actions couldn't be made to look as if they were pledging allegiance to anyone. But Scott had cut in, saying it was close and wouldn't take more than a couple of hours at most. Virgil knew that he was not the only one to have tuned out of the bickering between his oldest brother and father, but before he knew it, they were on their way.

John had been forced to stay at home after the threat of a concussion after a slight accident in the mines, so despite the fact that he was tired, Gordon had had no choice but to come along. As per usual, Scott had flown ahead to try and assess what was happening, leaving the two younger brothers to go after him at a more leisurely pace.

"Thunderbird One to Thunderbird Two."

"Go ahead, Scott."

"We've got a group of five soldiers stuck on a cliff. A dam has broken further up the river and the water levels have left them stranded."

"F.A.B. Course of action?"

"You two get the men, I'm going to check whether they need any help with patching up that dam."

"F.A.B."

"Don't take too long, Grandma is making cookies. I'll report in when I know more about that dam."

Virgil confirmed his understanding and flicked off the communications. He knew the last part was nothing to do with Scott wanting cookies; it was his big brother wanting them to get home so they could actually spend a few hours just relaxing. Virgil knew that this would be their last call of the day, no one was up to doing anything more.

By the time Virgil turned to face Gordon, it was to find the younger man had already stood up, stepping into the harness that would attach him to the platform even whilst they had been speaking.

"You're going, are you?"

"As if you would let me take the controls."

Virgil smirked at the sound of hope in Gordon's voice. He knew that his brother would quite like to be able to claim that he had been the one to fly Two during a rescue, but there was no way that Virgil was about to let that happen. The look on Virgil's face had said enough and Gordon rolled his eyes, heading towards the main body of the craft from the flight deck in order to get into position. They were nearly there, Virgil knew that Scott must have been monitoring their progress to put his call in with such perfect timing.

No sooner had Gordon confirmed that he was all set and ready to go did Virgil locate the soldiers. They were pressed up against the rock face, meaning Virgil wasn't sure how much navigation room he had. He was somehow going to have to angle the platform in order to get it close enough, but leave enough room so that Two didn't touch the cliff. Swinging his 'bird around in order to approach from a different angle, Virgil swore.

"Gords, have you got visual?"

"One sec… yep, there we go. Oh you've got to be kidding me."

Virgil knew that he wasn't imagining what he thought he had seen. Only four of the men were standing, the fifth seemed to be on the floor. That was just what they needed, an injury. He only hoped that it was something simple, for he wasn't sure how focused he would be to deal with anything else.

"What do we do?"

"Stay with what we were going to do. You can assess him from there, and we'll switch if he needs more than basic first aid."

"F.A.B."

"Gords?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you going to be able to get them all on the platform?"

"Of course."

"How?" Virgil wasn't sure he wanted to have to hover for long enough for Gordon to make two trips, but the platform was only designed to hold five at most. Gordon had to be on it to operate it, meaning that they were a person too many.

"Magic."

"I can just see you as Harry Potter."

"What? No, Virg, I've got more style than that. I'm more like Merlin… just without the beard. Can't stand beards."

"When have you ever had a beard? Stand by, opening hatch now." Virgil could just make out the sounds of Gordon strapping himself to the platform as he opened the doorways that would enable him to lower the platform down. He waited until Gordon confirmed he was ready before skilfully bringing Two into a hover and winching Gordon out. Following his brother's instructions, he carefully lowered the platform down, eyes watching the monitors and hands flying over the controls as he maintained a steady course.

If he was honest, there wasn't a lot for Virgil to do apart from wait for Gordon's signal that they were all aboard. He knew Two better than anything else; he knew precisely how to keep her steady, no matter what the conditions were. He found himself wishing Gordon would hurry up; Scott had got him thinking about cookies now. Or more specifically, how much he would like to be able to just sit down and do nothing, not have to move or go off and rescue anyone for a while.

"Bring us up, Thunderbird Two."

Gordon's voice seemed an age in coming, and Virgil had to force himself to withdraw the platform steadily rather than jerking it up in his haste. At the same time, he moved Two away from the cliff, beginning to head back to the co-ordinates Scott had patched through for the drop off point. One glance at the cliff told him all he needed to know – Gordon had managed to get all the men up in one trip. Virgil decided that he simply wasn't going to ask, he wasn't sure that he wanted to know how his brother had managed it, and not knowing it meant that he couldn't accidentally report Gordon for not following protocol.

"Virg, think you are going to be needed."

"F.A.B." Swearing under his breath, Virgil eased himself from his chair, flicking Two onto autopilot as he did so. "Can you come and take the controls then? If the military are here, we don't know who else might be and I'm not taking any chances."

"F.A.B. Coming up now."

Virgil counted down under his breath, knowing how long it took Gordon to make the journey. As soon as he reached one, he left the flight deck, making sure to seal the door behind him. They couldn't take any risks, not if they had people on board. He wasn't sure whether it was the tiredness making him so paranoid or whether it was just past experience, but Virgil wasn't taking any chances.

This time, however, his fears were unfounded. He simply passed Gordon on the way up, clapping his hand on his brother's shoulder as he did so and receiving a nod in reply. It took him no more than a minute to reach where the victims were. Luckily, four out of the five appeared to be unharmed, although Virgil knew that soldiers were never going to admit to being in pain. Both Scott and Gordon had only confirmed that belief during his dealings with them. But the fifth was sitting up, even if his face was somewhat pale and he was clutching his leg to him. Virgil could see the bloody gash stretching down his thigh and winced in sympathy. Nothing too serious, but enough that Gordon would have wanted Virgil to take a look.

Or the prankster just really wanted to get his hands on Two, but generally Virgil trusted his brother to behave on rescues.

"Hey there. I'm here to take a look at your leg if that's okay? What's your name?"

"Leg's fine, let's just get these boys back to base."

Virgil knew that tone of voice, and it gave away that this was clearly the man in charge of the group. He had the same look about him that Scott tended to get when he thought that they were doing something too dangerous and he didn't want his brothers involved.

"We're heading back to your base now. So while we are doing so, how about I have a look?"

The man looked like he was going to protest again, but eventually sighed and stretched out his leg with a grimace. Virgil moved forward, taking it gently in his hands and tearing away the material so he could get a better look.

"What's your name?" He kept his voice gentle as his fingers began to probe, but the man jerked.

"Bloody hell, be careful would you?"

"You're a long way from home, buddy," Virgil said calmly, recognising a hint of Irish in the accent. The man fell back with a grunt, clearly trying to stop himself from swearing out loud and Virgil made swift work of cleaning the cut. The soldier had been lucky, it was a clean cut and the medic didn't even think that he would need stitches, just a secure bandage.

"Gwaine."

"What?"

"Think my name is funny, do you?"

"Believe me, man, I know all about that. I just didn't hear you, that's all." Virgil was quick to make sure that the man didn't take offence to his reaction, knowing that he was pretty much outnumbered down here. But the tension seemed to drain from Gwaine as he leant against the side of the 'bird, looking exhausted.

"Sorry. Didn't mean anything by it. Long day, you know?"

"Yeah," Virgil rested his hand on the man's shoulder sympathetically before turning away in order to pick up a roll of bandage.

"Merlin's not going to believe this one."

Virgil blinked, the corners of his mouth turning up. He made sure that he kept his face neutral as he turned back around and began wrapping up the leg. It was either a nickname, some poor guy's mother had been thinking crazily whilst giving birth, or just some sort of joke. Yet Gwaine didn't seem to be joking, and wondering if the pain was making him slightly delirious, Virgil decided the best thing he could do was keep him talking.

"That a friend of yours?"

"Yeah, he's a big fan of you guys. Tries to help out where he can, but hey, he's still only one guy. Although he has got his hands full with the princess right now. Ha! Arthur's going to have a fit on this one. He's already declared that he wants one of your machines and doesn't get why Merlin hasn't just snapped his fingers and got one."

"Sure…" Virgil hurried to tie off the bandage and backed away to the far side of the holding bay.

"Gords?"

"You okay?"

"Can you just double security measures? I think this guy is harmless, but he did just say some guy called Arthur wants his friend Merlin to get our machines. I know it is probably nothing and it's the pain making him talk, but I don't fancy losing my 'bird."

"F.A.B."

Virgil could hear the laughter in Gordon's voice and cursed himself for saying anything. If this turned out to be some sort of prank, Gordon was never going to let him live it down. Turning back to his patient, Virgil couldn't help but feel relieved that he had dozed off into an uneasy sleep, his men surrounding him.

It really was time to go home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for the reviews and support with this! Well, here comes part two!**

"Merlin!"

"It's just the phone, Arthur. We spoke about this, remember?"

"I know what it is, _Mer_lin, I'm not an idiot. What I don't know is why you aren't answering it."

"Um... because you are closer?"

"I…"

The hesitation in Arthur's voice finally persuaded Merlin to look up from the book he was reading and glance across at the Once and Future King. Arthur was chewing his bottom lip, looking anywhere but at Merlin as he scowled. Merlin knew that look, and found himself smiling fondly.

"You can't remember how, can you?"

"Of course I can, it's just…"

"Arthur. Pick it up. Hit the green button on the top left. Put it to your ear. Talk." Merlin had spent the last few weeks perfecting the tone of voice he needed for instructing Arthur on what to do. At first, the man had been so overwhelmed by everything that he had done anything Merlin told him to. But the warlock had known that it was too good to last, and as Arthur's confidence grew, he reverted back to his old ways of refusing to admit that he needed help. Now, Merlin managed to sound firm whilst calm at the same time, and it seemed to work for not riling Arthur up. It had not only made things peaceful, but saved a lot of crockery once Arthur had stopped throwing it in frustration. The idea of it being china and therefore breakable was a lesson that Merlin had given up on. His magic could be used to fix most of it, and, well, that old plate he had never liked anyway.

Arthur picked it up, and Merlin winced as he practically yelled a greeting into the receiver. It was obvious that although Merlin had explained how things worked, Arthur still didn't quite trust them.

"_Jeez__ princess, could you shout any louder? I can hear you."_

"Arthur, give me the phone." Rolling his eyes, Merlin held out his hand. He knew that Gwaine wouldn't be ringing to talk to Arthur. The man had been away for a few days now on his new assignment, and if he wanted a casual chat, he would ring in the evening. For him to be calling in the middle of the day meant that something was wrong, and Merlin hated the day when he had to break bad news to Arthur. After everything that they had been through, he knew that he was being overprotective, but he couldn't help it. Arthur, naturally, clung onto the phone that little bit tighter.

"Gwaine!" Yelling to make sure that he was heard, Merlin kept his hand out. "Who do you want, me or Arthur?"

There was silence for a beat and then Gwaine sighed.

"_Give Merlin the phone, Arthur._"

Arthur's previous scowl returned and Merlin knew that he was still trying to adjust to the fact that he wasn't in command of them anymore. For a moment, Merlin didn't think that he was going to hand the phone over, but eventually, Arthur chucked it at his head. Knowing how good the man's aim was caused Merlin to duck, only for his eyes to flare as he used magic to cause the phone to soar back into his hand.

"Gwaine?" Merlin felt himself blushing as Arthur stared at him, knowing the man was still trying to get used to Merlin having magic as much as he was the whole modern day life living thing. "What's up?"

"_You'll never guess who I just got picked up by?"_

"Some gorgeous blonde?"

"_How about International Rescue?"_

"Oh." Merlin fell back against the cushions, his eyes wide.

"_Oh? 'Oh' is all you can say? You've had theories about these guys ever since they first emerged and all you can say is oh? Come on, mate, that's harsh."_

"Gwaine, I'm sorry, it's just…unexpected. Did you see it?"

"_What, you think that they carry it around for all of their victims to have a gawp at. No, Merlin, I did not see it."_

"Do you think they have it?"

"_I don't know! Look, I've gotta go, but just thought that I would give you the heads-up on these guys."_

"Yeah, thanks, Gwaine." Clicking the phone off again, Merlin found that he didn't move for a few moments, just stared at the wall. Gwaine was right, Merlin had been thinking about International Rescue ever since they had first appeared. To have machines that could save so many people, to be the beacon of hope whilst disasters were shaking the world… There was only one thing that Merlin had ever seen do that before in all of his lifetimes, and the last time he had seen that thing, he had been throwing it into a lake after his dead king.

"_Mer_lin, you idiot? Anyone home?"

Blinking, Merlin batted away Arthur's hand from where it was waving in front of his face, climbing off the sofa and heading into the kitchen.

"I'm hungry, you want anything?"

"You've just eaten."

"Oh come on, Arthur, like that ever stopped you in the past. So, food, yeah?" Merlin hated the fact that although he had spent years lying to Arthur, the man still knew him too well. Time had not detracted from that, and before he had gone more than a few steps, Arthur was in front of him. One hand rested on his hip and the other pressed forward to hit on Merlin's shoulder, stopping him from moving anywhere.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing."

"Really, Merlin? Lying to me again?"

Merlin almost seemed to deflate, running a hand through his hair. Shrugging off Arthur's grip, he moved past the man into the kitchen, absentmindedly pulling things down at random from the shelves.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you. But can we get something to eat first? This isn't just something I can just blurt out."

"Is it because of what Gwaine said?"

"Yes and no. Look, Arthur, you were gone a long time. I had to find things to do with myself. So I began to look into what had happened back in Camelot, what all the legends are saying now about what they thought went on."

"Right…"

Merlin knew a prompt when he heard one. Instead of answering Arthur, however, he waved his hand at the kettle and immediately caused the machine to start boiling. Arthur seemed to realise that Merlin wasn't going to start talking until he was comfortable, so actually reached up and began to pull a couple of mugs down from the shelf. Merlin had a smile on his face as he fetched everything else they would need and, on realising that Arthur had been pulling biscuits down from the shelf, grabbed a plate to put them on.

Five minutes later, and the pair sat down. Merlin wrapped his hands around his steaming mug, staring into the depths of the murky brown liquid and finding that his mind was going blank as to how to explain this to Arthur. Even the others didn't know quite how strongly he believed in what he had found out, and they had known him for longer in this life. At least he wasn't hiding who he was this time.

"Merlin?" After his ex-servant had stayed quiet for long enough, Arthur none too gently kicked him under the table. "You were saying?"

"Oh yeah. So I've been searching all these legends. It started off as just something to pass the time, to find out whether people remembered your name." Merlin pointedly kept his eyes fixed to the table top as he felt a blush rising up his cheeks. Arthur didn't say anything, and when Merlin tentatively looked up again, it was to find the man had a small smile of fondness on his face. It seemed their last few moments of Arthur finally realising what Merlin had truly been doing all of those years had stuck with him whilst he had been dead, and he made no comment about the fact that Merlin had tried to ensure that his name lived on.

"Did you find anything?"

"Well, most people seem to think that I was an old guy that helped your parents get together." Merlin couldn't help but chuckle at the face Arthur pulled. His relationship with his father had always been strained, and Merlin knew that bringing up his mother was a sensitive topic. Even the idea of bringing them together meant treading on thin ice since Arthur had found out about the original Morgana's parentage.

"But some things are true. They have most of the facts about your final fight with Mordred right." Merlin didn't even dare say what else the legend had said about Mordred, especially not when it came to _his_ parentage. He didn't think that Arthur would be able to handle that particular piece of information. Merlin knew he had to tell him one day - knowing Arthur he would stumble across the truth for himself. But right now, Merlin was sticking to things closer to the facts.

"That doesn't explain why Gwaine thought you would be pleased that he had met some of the members of International Rescue."

Merlin sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"It's not only the people that I've been looking up, Arthur. You remember your sword?"

"You made me pull it out of a damn rock; I'm not going to forget it any time soon."

"I don't suppose you heard the last words that I said to Morgana, did you?" Arthur frowned at him, clearly trying to think back. Merlin wasn't sure if he had heard or not, Arthur had barely been alive at the time and losing strength every second. For him to have been paying attention to the conversation might have been pushing it too far, but to Merlin's surprise, Arthur softly nodded.

"You said something about it being forged in the breath of the dragon? That's why you could kill her. I didn't know what you were talking about, how you could have got a dragon to forge it, but I never got the chance to ask about it."

"It was forged in the breath of the dragon. It can kill things that no ordinary weapon can. It was forged for you, Arthur, only you could wield it."

"You killed Morgana with it."

"Don't remind me. After you had di… After you had gone, I knew that I had to make sure that no one else could find it, so I threw it in the lake." The look of disbelief that Arthur shot him made Merlin shift slightly in his seat. It was exactly the same look Arthur had always used to give him when he said something that the then-king had thought stupid. Of course, Arthur hadn't known at the time that it tended to be Merlin talking about something magical.

"I don't get what this has to do with International Rescue."

"I'm getting to that. The sword gave you the ability to protect your people."

"You think they are using it?"

"Not as such." Merlin found that he was biting his lip as he thought about how he was going to explain this. He had no proof that his theory was the slightest bit correct, but through following various news reports and keeping close tabs on anything new that came up in regards to the legends surrounding Arthur, he knew that the sword was no longer in its resting place.

"I think there is more to the magic of the sword than I realised. I don't think it just gives the ability to protect, I think it gives the _urge_ to protect. They probably don't know what they've got, it might not even be with them anymore…"

"But you think that at least one member of International Rescue has been in contact with Excalibur and that is why they set up the organisation in the first place? The magic of the sword gave them the urge to protect the people of this land?"

"Not just the land, Arthur, the world."

"That's what I meant." Arthur's dismissive attitude at his incorrect terminology broke the hush that had been falling around their excited whispers. There had been a sense of awe, of wonder, building in the room, but the spell was broken as Arthur sat back. Merlin still couldn't stop his eyes from shining in excitement.

"I just want to talk to them, see if I can detect anything from the magic. What else would give them such a drive to risk everything in order to protect people? It's exactly the same as you and the knights used to do."

"But only I had the sword. The knights' desire to protect…"

"Came from you leading them. Don't you see, Arthur? The leader of them must have been the one influenced, and his desire to protect must have influenced those working with him. If this is true, the sword can still do good, even in today's world!"

"One thing I don't get, though." Arthur took a sip of his tea, one leg folding over the other as he gazed at Merlin. The man was flushed and his eyes were gleaming in excitement, and Arthur knew that this was something that he had clearly been wanting to tell him about for a long time.

"What?"

"How are you going to get close to them?"

Merlin's face fell, but he suddenly found himself studying Arthur closely.

"One thing I don't get," he echoed, looking as if he was trying to figure something out. Arthur raised his eyebrows expectantly, gesturing for Merlin to continue.

"I never told you Excalibur's name. How did you know?"

"Maybe you're not the only one who has been looking things up," Arthur muttered, flushing slightly. "But what the hell was with the one where you kept bursting into song and turning us into fish?"

"Arthur… Have you been watching Sword in the Stone again?"

Arthur's blush deepened as Merlin began to laugh, but the phone ringing again cut them off before it could go any further. At Merlin's glance, Arthur rolled his eyes but stood up to answer it. Merlin didn't need to ask who it was, he could tell by the way Arthur's shoulders stiffened that it was Morgana. The others had all had time to get used to the fact that she was on their side. Arthur was still adjusting.

He didn't say anything, but simply thrust the phone at Merlin.

"It's…."

"Morgana, I know."

"She's upset. Babbling something about that damn sword as well. What is it with you and swords? I could never get you to keep mine clean and now it's like you have an obsession with them."

Merlin shook his head, not believing that Arthur deserved an answer to that, but reached out and took the phone from him.

"Morgana? What is it, what's wrong?"

"_I had a dream…"_

"A dream? But… you can't, your magic…" Merlin found that he was sharing a startled look with Arthur as the man turned back around. Morgana shouldn't still be having the dreams, and judging by the way she simply broke down in sobs, Merlin knew that it was unnerving her as much as them.

"Okay, okay, take a deep breath. Tell me from the beginning, what was this dream about?"

-X-

"Right boys, that's all for today. Go and get cleaned up and get some rest before the next emergency is called in."

Virgil blearily peeled his eyes open, nudging Gordon. Scott still looked slightly alert, but his two younger siblings had dropped off to sleep during the debriefing. It hadn't helped that they had been going through more than one rescue, and Virgil was getting to the point where he no longer knew what had happened in which incident. Gordon opened his eyes to glare at his brother, then made a show of staying where he was.

Virgil sighed, but hauled himself off the sofa all the same. Scott reached out a hand and helped him up, looking as if he didn't trust that Virgil would stay standing unless he helped him. Stumbling towards the stairs, his brother on his heels, Virgil wearily trudged his way up them. Despite being utterly exhausted, he knew that he was still riding on the adrenaline rush that every rescue – no matter how big or small – gave him. There would be no sleep for him for a few hours; he just hoped that nothing else was called in whilst he began to unwind.

Judging by the fact that Scott made no comment when Virgil made his way to his brother's room rather than his own, the artist knew that he was clearly thinking the same thing. Flopping down on Scott's bed, he begrudgingly moved his feet when his brother batted at them before sleepily watching Scott take the chair.

"So…"

"Yeah."

Virgil lay back, looking at the ceiling for a long moment. "Ever wondered why we do this?"

"Virg…"

"I know why we started. But the way things are at the moment? We don't have anything left of our old lives anymore, it's like the end of the world."

"So what would you do? Let it happen, go down without a fight?"

"Course not." Grabbing hold of Scott's pillow, Virgil threw it at the man, showing that he would never stop. Whilst there were people out there to be saved, then that was precisely what Virgil was going to be doing.

"So what happened with that soldier guy? Gordon said that you seemed pretty unnerved by it?"

"Unnerved is the wrong word, he was just a funny one. Kept going on about his mates called Merlin and Arthur of all things."

"You never know. People call their kids stupid things these days.

"Why the hell did you look at me when you said that?"

"You're the only one in the room, who else am I going to look at?" Scott seemed to be leaning back on his chair, almost as if he was worried about what Virgil was about to do as his younger brother sat up. But before the artist could even support his own weight, their watches vibrated. Glancing down, Scott saw that it was John wanting to contact them both. Considering it was just them and not the rest of the family, he knew it was for nothing more than a chat. Leaning over, he flicked on the monitor of his computer, hit a few buttons and connected the line through there instead.

"Hey, John. What's up?"

"Me."

"That got old after the first thousand times, bro." Virgil finally sat up properly, scooting forward until he was lying on his stomach. Cupping his chin in his hand, he propped his head up as he stared at his brother. "You okay?"

Virgil felt that he had good reason to ask, for John looked remarkably close to simply bursting out laughing. As things had been so strained lately, Virgil found that he was slightly worried his brother was about to burst into hysterics. Sharing a worried look with Scott, Virgil decided to let the older man do the talking.

"Johnny? What's going on?"

"You know how I can pick up any call that so much as mentions us as a way of keeping an eye on security?"

"Yeah?"

"You would not believe the phone call that I've just overheard. It was coming from somewhere over in England, close to Wales, I think, if I can pinpoint it right. One of the guys was called Merlin."

Warning bells instantly went off in Virgil's mind and he jumped up, fully aware that Scott was watching him closely, a slight look of alarm on his face. Running a hand through his hair, Virgil stared at John.

"What did they say? What did they say about us?"

"Woah… clearly I'm missing something here…"

"Virgil, stop being dramatic and sit down." Scott reached out and grabbed the back of Virgil's shirt, pulling his brother down until he was once again on the bed. "Ignore him. Go ahead, John."

"Right… anyway, as I was saying. One guy was called Merlin, and from what I could make out, the woman was called Morgana. What do you reckon, think their parents knew each other when they were still expecting? Anyway, I only picked up the conversation once we had been mentioned. I thought I must have caught the end of that conversation and tuned into their new one, because they spent the whole time going on and on about a sword."

"Excalibur?" Scott guessed. He might not be as brushed up on his history as his brother, but he still knew how to put his legends together. John nodded, but Virgil leant forward again.

"What do you mean; you thought you have picked up the end of the conversation."

"Well, that's the funny thing. The way they were talking about it was like they thought that it was real. And that we had it."

"What?" Scott was unable to keep the laughter out of his voice as he shared amused looks with both of his younger brothers. John nodded.

"Yep. Apparently that is why we do what we do, because we are in the possession of some magical sword. How we would have a sword and not know about it, I don't know…"

"Dad's got a few display ones."

"Come on, Virg, he got them from Japan or something. Not from England and certainly not a sword that doesn't exist."

"There may have never been any proof that it existed, but there isn't any evidence that it didn't either."

"So you think Arthur and his knights existed as well? That some guy in a wizard's gown walked around calling himself Merlin and growing a long beard?"

"That's not what I said, John, and you full well know it. Besides, I thought you would be on my side."

"If it has evidence to back it up, then I'm a firm believer. Pure legend on the other hand? Even you have to admit that is a bit of a stretch, Virgil."

"I'm with John on this one, Virg, there is no proof."

Virgil huffed, but knew that his brothers had a point. Just because he had found it a somewhat interesting legend to read up on at school didn't mean that he was prepared to fight his brothers on it now.

"Was that all you were going to tell us?"

"Nope." John leaned forward, his eyes sparkling in a way that neither of his brothers had seen for years.

"Apparently, we have the sword, right? But get this… this woman – who, by the way, is practically sobbing hysterically by this point – thinks that someone is going to steal it. It can only be used by the correct person, you know." John added the last part in a deadly serious voice as Scott gave into his amusement and let a shout of laughter escape him. By the time Virgil looked up, both of his brothers were chuckling. He knew that John had only told them because he, too, needed a break from the amount of rescues they were undertaking.

"You could try and find the amusing side in it, Virg." Scott's elbow nudged his brother in the ribs and Virgil rolled his eyes, smiling all the same.

"I am. But I just…"

"Please don't tell me you are thinking of that guy again? You said yourself that he seemed mad."

"Guy? What guy?"

"Virgil here got the joy of escorting someone home today. You know the group of soldiers stuck on the cliff?" Waiting for John's nod, Scott smirked. "One of them was apparently talking about his friends. You ready for this? Arthur and Merlin."

"No way."

"Is anyone else seeing why I'm not quite finding this as funny as you two? That's twice today that name has come up – this guy seemed really interested in us, and now someone with the same name pops up in a call, talking about us."

"Virg, half the planet talk about us."

Virgil glanced at Scott and suddenly shook his head, smiling. He was thinking into this way too much. So maybe this guy did know the people that John had overheard. The chances were that these weren't even their real names and they were taking a game or something way too seriously. It was certainly none of their business and nothing for him to be worrying about.

"You idiot, Virg," Scott muttered fondly, clearly seeing his brother's thoughts playing out across his face. "You didn't really start thinking into it, did you?"

"Course not."

"Liar."

Virgil decided that there was only one thing he could do in order to respond to John's comment. He poked his tongue out, earning himself another shout of laughter as he did so.

"What do you think Gordon would do if he had overheard this?"

"Probably declare his undying love for the Lady of the Lake and try and move in with her?"

"And Alan?"

"Attempt to be a knight and end up hurting himself."

As the conversation drifted away from what had happened that day and onto what they would do if they could go back in time, Virgil forced himself to ignore the small, niggling doubt in his mind that there was something more to this than they were realising. They had rescues to run and people to save, so why was he even sparing a second thought on something that probably wasn't even real.

After all, Arthur and his knights were nothing more than a legend.

Weren't they?


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much to those of you who are reading this, it really means a lot. Special thank you for those taking the time to let me know, I really appreciate it!**

A series of beeps followed by a curse had the corners of Merlin's mouth twitching, but he refused to get up from where he was sitting cross-legged on the floor, not after the fight he had had in order to get this position.

"What's he doing?" Gwaine was sitting opposite him, his long legs folded underneath him and his arm curled behind his head as he leant back on the sofa. Morgana and Gwen were sitting on it, with Lancelot perched on the arm with one hand resting lightly on Gwen's shoulder. Leon was in the armchair and Elyan was next to Gwaine. Percival was standing, his arms folded across his chest and his head craning around towards the kitchen where more beeps and cursing could be heard. Merlin shook his head, biting his lip to stop himself from laughing out loud as there came a thud.

"Merlin?"

"He's trying to use the microwave."

Percival's face morphed into one of alarm and he swiftly disappeared. After a second of silence, they could hear his gentle voice trying to get Arthur to step away from the appliance and let someone else do it. As a fire-fighter, Percival knew better than the rest of them the dangers that could come from Arthur simply hitting every button that he could get his hands on. Merlin knew that he should have gone and helped, but after nearly a month of explaining things and Arthur still managing to make an enemy out of technology, he had come to see the funny side to it.

"How's he doing?" Gwen leant forward, concern in her expressive eyes as she glanced at the warlock before looking towards the kitchen. Merlin's smile morphed into something that was a mixture between fondness and exasperation.

"He's getting there. He can handle the outside world more now and I can actually leave him without fearing I'm going to come back to find the house burnt down. Some things, however, he seems to have a mental block about. Always was a bit thick-headed when it came to accepting something new."

"Merlin." Despite Gwen aiming for a reproachful tone, the laughter in her voice gave away the fact that she was finding this just as amusing as he was. The rest of them had been born into this life, they had gone through the everyday motionsof learning how to live. Arthur had just been thrown into it, with all of his memories firmly lodged in a time that no longer existed.

"I'm sorry." Merlin also tried to go for sincere, but he took one look at Gwen and the pair of them burst out laughing. He hadn't realised how much he had missed having her around as his best friend until now. Their last few years in Camelot had pulled them apart in a way that he hadn't realised until she was once again back in his life with no boundaries in regard to station. In fact, Merlin should be the one in charge these days. He had lived all of this time waiting for the rest of them, he was the one with the magic. But as he looked around at his friends sprawled across the living room and heard Percival talking Arthur through how to use the microwave (good luck to him, Merlin had explained it hundreds of times), he knew that they were finally all equal.

"Moving on from Arthur's inability to function as a human being and back to the reason we are all here...?"

Morgana's words only caused Merlin's grin to widen, knowing that whilst she was now back on their side, he still wouldn't want to cross her.

"Because of a sword?" Gwaine sounded less than impressed and Merlin knew it was because he was fully aware of what modern-day weapons could do. They were lucky he was even here, but his recent accident had granted him some leave and so enabled the whole group to meet. Merlin knew he had to tell them about his suspicions regarding Excalibur, especially now that Morgana was beginning to dream about it again.

"Not just any sword, Gwaine."

"My sword." Arthur came through from the kitchen, glaring at his ex-knight as if the man was insulting him by not sounding awe-struck over the sword.

"Riiight… we're all here because of Arthur's sword. What has this got to do with International Rescue, Merlin? You've been going on about this for months."

"He has? He never told me."

"Guess it is my turn to find something out first then." Gwaine poked his tongue out at Lancelot, who looked mildly affronted but responded by throwing a cushionback at him. Merlin let his eyes flash, stopping the missile mid-air and lowering it to the floor before things could escalate.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Lancelot, but I wasn't sure. I needed Gwaine's military expertise in order to work out whether what I was thinking was even possible."

"Which it wasn't, by the way. He ignored me."

"There's _something_ about them though. Where did this need to protect come from? Where did they get the technology?"

"I still think you are looking too deeply into this, Merlin." Leon's voice was soft and controlled, and Merlin realised just how good he must be as a teacher in this life. "People are driven by different things. It's not necessarily magic, especially not in this lifetime."

"But this goes beyond just wanting to protect people. I'm telling you, something is driving these men. I might have let it go if it wasn't for the fact that Morgana's nightmares have started again."

"They're not nightmares this time, more of a feeling. Why does it even matter if they have the sword? They're clearly putting it to good use, far more than we could do."

"It's Arthur's sword."

"Grow up, Merlin. It _was_ Arthur's sword, and now someone is putting it to a better use."

"Morgana is right."

Silence fell sharply around the room as they all stared at Arthur, almost as if they couldn't believe what they had just heard. Merlin knew they were all trying to wrack their brains for when Arthur had last agreed with Morgana. It certainly hadn't been in this lifetime, and Merlin was sure he had never seen them agree on anything back in Camelot either, not even when they had been blinked at the silence, but seemed to take that as his cue to continue rather than noticing how shocked they all were.

"You've all told me enough times that this isn't my time anymore. What do you want me to do with a sword?"

"You came back for a reason though," Merlin muttered, running his hand through his hair as he tried to figure this out. Was he the only one believing that there was more to International Rescue than the rest of the world was seeing? Was he right, or was he so desperate for this lifetime to be the one where something happened that he was simply finding excuses that didn't exist? Merlin wasn't so sure any more, and that scared him. He had always known what he was doing.

"Maybe there is another reason. Maybe it's just a coincidence that they are on the news more now than they have ever been. It might not have anything to do with us."

"Something tells me that it… Does anyone smell burning?" Merlin broke off, sniffing the air as he did so. Percival immediately leapt into action, running into the kitchen and giving a shout of alarm.

"Smoke! I can smell smoke!"

"Arthur, I need you to think for me. Have you touched anything?"

Flashing Leon a smile of gratitude, Merlin ran into the kitchen after Percival. Leon would be able to get a truthful answer out of Arthur. He seemed to be the only one who could talk to Arthur like that without being snapped at in response.

"No! Only the microwave, which Percival then sorted out for me anyway."

"Wait… it's coming from outside. Everyone get out of the house!" Merlin took a breath whilst the air was still clear enough for him to do so, letting the magic fill him up. It should be a simple matter of clearing the air in order to make sure there was nothing flammable around and then they would be okay. But before he could release the magic, Gwen let out a scream.

"Fire! There's a fire in the hallway!"

"What the hell is going on?" Merlin raced back into the centre of the house. Percival and Lancelot glanced at each other before both trying to get people out at the same time. Gwaine and Leon joined in and Merlin realised in that split second that although they all had different professions, they all knew how to keep their head in a crisis. Even Elyan was used to working in dangerous environments depending on where his job took him. Right now, however, he had taken Gwen's hand and was trying to lead her towards the back door, adamant on getting his sister to safety.

"It's no good, that way is blocked as well!"

Elyan's yell made Merlin curse as he realised that they were effectively trapped in the house at this moment in time. He had to find a way of getting everyone out.

"Still think it is coincidence that we are thinking about the sword and this is happening?"

"Merlin, just do something!"

Merlin couldn't stop a grin from spreading momentarily over his face. He knew that tone from Arthur all too well, and it was nice to know that some things hadn't changed despite the many years that had stretched between them. Merlin stood in the centre, holding his palms out and letting words spill from his lips.

Initially, it seemed to work. There was a hiss as two of the fires were put out, and for a moment, it seemed as if the air was clearing a little. But then there came an almighty explosion from behind the stair case, throwing Morgana and Leon off their feet from where they had been standing too close. Lancelot hurried to their side, already beginning to try and check for injuries despite the fact that he had nothing with him to help if they were hurt.

"Merlin!"

"I'm trying!" Luckily, the pair were relatively unscathed as they clambered back to their feet. Merlin found that he was shouting, determined to try and get the flames to listen to him. It had never mattered how strong Merlin's magic was, however. Mother Nature had always had a way of fighting back against him, of refusing to be controlled. The fire didn't seem to want to go out, feeding off the furniture and materials it could get hold of. Not that it stopped him from trying, however, and Merlin found that he was panting as he tried to force more magic out of him and into the surrounding area.

"Move!" Arthur suddenly came out of nowhere, slamming into Merlin and knocking them both to one side. Merlin's hold on the magic snapped and the fires that he had been managing to control suddenly leapt up with a greater intensity than before. Merlin made to say something, to ask what Arthur thought he was doing, but his words were stolen from him as the chunk of ceiling directly above where he had been standing suddenly gave way with a groan. If Arthur hadn't moved him, Merlin knew that he would have been under it.

"Thanks."

"My turn to repay the favour."

Merlin grinned as Arthur hauled him back to his feet, the pair of them moving towards the centre of the room. The rest of the group had gathered there and Merlin winced at the heat as he tried to call the magic up again.

"You're too shaken up, you can't control it."

Merlin glared at Morgana, refusing to admit that she had a point. He had had magic for all of these years, there was no way that he was about to lose control now. He simply couldn't, not now everyone was back together again.

"I can control it when I'm dying, this is no different, Morgana. I can do this!" Another burst of magic erupted from Merlin, but as one flickering flame was doused, an explosion rocked the whole house and Gwen screamed as another part of the ceiling collapsed almost on them. Merlin gave up on the fire, instead letting his magic settle a shield around them. The chunks of ceiling bounced off the shield and Merlin winced at the force it was taking to hold it.

"I'm out of ideas!" His voice was hoarse as he yelled over the sound of the flames. The shield might stop anything from touching them, but he knew the heat and the smoke would take him down before the fire actually reached them. Something seemed to be controlling these fires, he should have been able to stop them by now! Despite it just confirming his suspicions that they were onto something, he knew that he couldn't think about that now. He needed to focus on keeping his friends and his destiny alive once again.

"I've got an idea!" Gwaine yelled back, and Merlin could just make out his hand drifting to his pocket.

"Gwaine, if this is another one of your crazy schemes, no way! Percival, do you think we can get through?"

"No, it's too hot. Even with equipment we'd barely make it through. If it wasn't for your shield, I think we'd already be unconscious."

"Great. Lance, Gwen, how long do you think we have got?"

"Merlin, I've got an idea!"

"Gwaine, your ideas are too dangerous, they'll get us killed. Lancelot?"

"I don't know… I don't know how strong your shield is."

"For heaven's sake!" Gwaine's raised voice made Merlin blink as he realised that Gwaine had pulled out his phone. He didn't think that he had ever heard Gwaine shout like that before, and it certainly made him start for a moment.

"It's no good, mate, the fire crew will never be able to get here in time." Percival's voice was soft and apologetic, but Gwaine simply rolled his eyes at him.

"Who says that I'm calling them?"

"Then who?"

"You want to meet International Rescue, Merlin? I think now is a good a time as any, don't you?" Suddenly feeling guilty for doubting Gwaine's idea, Merlin grinned and nodded.

"They won't get here any quicker…"

"No, but it we get out of this, it means we've just solved another of our problems."

"Just hurry, please! I'm not sure how much longer I can hold this."

"Gotcha!" As Gwaine began calling for help, Merlin just hoped that if it was the sword driving the organisation, it would feel it's original master's peril and get them here as fast as it could. He could already feel the shield slipping.

-X-

Virgil tried not to fidget as he stood in front of his father's desk, listening to John give the details of the latest disaster that had set the klaxon roaring. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Scott shaking his head.

"John's already co-ordinated getting the local fire service there; they'll be able to handle it. Chances are that it is too late for the people inside anyway if this fire is as hot as it sounds."

"They're still alive in there, Scott, I'm still in communication with the guy."

"But the locals can get them out. Dad, c'mon, we've been shooting around the world for weeks now, the local authorities can handle this."

"That fire, maybe.. They don't know what has caused it, but there are mainline gas pipes near that house. Scott, there's a power station barely a mile away, and the fire is heading that way. If the pipes fracture…"

"What can we do though?"

Virgil found himself thinking hard. It was true that they wouldn't be able to arrive in time to help those in the house, the local authorities would have to deal with that. But if they didn't get this under control and the power station went up… Virgil knew that, despite past experience, taking preventative measures helped them out in the long run.

"Brains' new compound. He believes that it will neutralise any gas…"

"In an enclosed space, Virg, not this."

"Are we really going to risk it? Dad?"

"You know I don't like you going out there unless you absolutely have to."

Virgil sighed, believing the look on his father's face was implying that they were going to have to sit there and wait until they were called to go and sort out the explosion.

But Jeff wasn't yet done. "I'm not sure we have a choice though."

"Dad!"

"No, Scott, listen. We need to test this compound of Brains', we need to know whether it works or not. If it doesn't, then we will already be on hand when the power station blows, something that we know for sure is going to happen if this doesn't work."

"But…"

"No buts, you boys are going. Off you go, I want a full report when you get there."

"If it is raining, I'm not going to be happy."

"Dude, it's England, of course it is going to be raining." Virgil grinned as he moved across to his own portrait. He knew that Scott wasn't as annoyed about this as he was making out, his brother took every chance he could to try out something new. It was more because they had so far managed to survive the day without being called out anywhere, and Virgil knew that Scott had been hoping that would last. But he also knew that his brother would rather already be there, attempting to control a potential blast, rather than having to race against the clock to get there to make sure there was no loss of life.

"Virgil? Be careful."

"F.A.B." Virgil attempted to smile at the concerned look on his father's face as he vanished through his portrait. After all, Brains didn't have the best track record with getting a new invention right first time.

But despite Scott moaning most of the way there and Virgil's own doubts about whether what they wanted to do was going to work or not, they seemed to land at the danger zone within moments. The fire at the house had been contained – something Virgil had already expected given the time took to arrive -several fire engines and a few ambulances waiting. Virgil could tell as he touched down that they had only just got it under control and were still in the process of getting the people out. He winced, knowing that this amount of time would no doubt mean that it would just be a recovery of bodies. While he might have been saddened by that fact, Virgil knew that they wouldn't have been able to save them either, even though they had got there as fast as they could.

Making sure Two was firmly locked as he went to join his brother at Mobile Control, Virgil found that he never quite made it.

He had been completely wrong.

The paramedics weren't pulling bodies out of the destroyed house, they were helping people out. People who were still somehow alive despite the amount of damage the fire had done. Glancing at Scott, Virgil witnessed the stunned look on his face for a moment before he came running over.

"How is that possible?" he murmured, falling into step with Virgil as they both headed over. The fire brigade had managed to get the small fires springing up under control, Virgil knew that they had time to figure out what was happening before working out whether the pipes would erupt or not. If the pipes were secure, then so was the power station. There seemed to be nine people being fussed over by the medics and as they drew closer, Virgil could make out a few minor burns and the look of shock on their faces which seemed to be the worst injury.

"This shouldn't be possible," he murmured, more to himself than Scott, but the older man made a noise in the back of his throat that meant he was agreeing. Even so, Virgil couldn't stop the rush of relief shooting through him at the realisation that somehow, everyone had survived. They seemed to be a bunch of people with their heads screwed on as they all just let the medics get on with their jobs rather than kicking up a fuss. Hearing a conversation between the two closest to him, Virgil grinned as he realised why. Judging by the terminology being used, this man at least was a doctor. No wonder they knew better than to try and protest.

Letting his eyes run over the others, Virgil could see that one dark-haired man, around his age, maybe John's, looked utterly exhausted. He was talking quietly with a blond and another man who had his back to the Tracys, a serious look on his face. More than once they all glanced over at the house and Virgil had no doubt that they were trying to work out what had just happened. He made to turn and head back to Scott, knowing that their job was not yet done, when the third man turned around.

"You've got to be kidding me." Virgil couldn't help but moan out loud as he recognised the soldier. It wasn't often Virgil remembered every victim, not with things being so busy. But considering the way the man had put him on edge with what Virgil had assumed was crazy talk, it was going to be hard to forget his face. The soldier saw him at the same time and his eyes seemed to light up.

"Saved myself this time, mate. Thanks though."

Virgil forced himself to smile and dip his head before making to turn back to Scott. Before he could do so, however, he froze, feeling as if a bucket of icy water had just been thrown over him as he heard the man turn back to his friends.

"Merlin, he was the one that I told you about."

"So?"

"So? I… Arthur, tell him that he should be thanking me profusely right now?"

"He didn't listen to me the first time around, what makes you think he'll do it now?"

"Virgil? You okay? Virgil!" Suddenly realising that there was a hand on his shoulder and a concerned brother standing in front of him, Virgil forced himself to grin.

"Just fine," he muttered, knowing that his gaze had slipped when he had answered and he had refused to look Scott in the eye. Virgil inwardly winced, somehow getting the feeling that that was not going to go unnoticed by his brother. Scott was aware of everything when it came to his younger siblings, especially when they were out on a rescue. How was he supposed to say something about the men behind him? He knew how seriously Scott took everything.

"You don't look it."

Virgil grimaced, knowing that he would have no choice now. Scott wouldn't let the matter go, even if Virgil insisted that he was fine. Knowing it was easier just to take the strange look his brother was no doubt about to give him, Virgil sighed.

"You know I told you about that guy and his legendary friends? Well… they're standing behind us."

Scott blinked, looking somewhat startled as he glanced none too subtly over Virgil's shoulder at the three men standing there.

"You sure? They look kind of…ordinary…"

"Just go and ask them their names," Virgil muttered, beginning to walk away as he did so. He'd known that this would be the reaction, it was why he hadn't wanted to say anything. If he was honest, he wasn't even sure why it was feeling so weird for him. They had rescued a variety of people over the years from all over the world, there was nothing about this group that was particularly making them stand out, apart from the names.

But yet, something was making the hairs on the back of Virgil's neck stand up. Something was off here, and he couldn't for the life of him work it out. It was the not knowing more than anything that was beginning to creep him out.

"Virg… can you really comment about people's choice of names? I mean, it's not their fault if that is what their parents decided to call them."

"I'm telling you, Scott, there is something off about him. In fact, I would go as far as saying that there is something off about the whole group. Even about this whole place!" Virgil ran a hand through his hair in frustration, not sure what it was that he was feeling. Whatever it was, Scott clearly couldn't feel it in the same way, and Virgil wondered whether the numerous rescues were finally beginning to get to him a little bit. Judging by the look on his brother's face, Scott was thinking the same thing.

"Why don't we go and secure that power station and just get home, okay, Virg?"

Virgil nodded, knowing by the tone in Scott's voice that he was beginning to worry the older man.

"Whatever. Come on, I just want to get home now." It was true. Virgil had had enough of rescues and of constantly feeling on edge. He just wanted to relax and sleep for about a week without the klaxon going off.

Moving back towards Two, Virgil decided to put out of his mind the coincidence of running into the same victim twice. If he hadn't been for the rattled look on the other survivors' faces, he would have said that it was some kind of set-up. But he had seen the injury on the soldier's leg and the way he had seemed to care for the men around him. That same expression of concern was on his face now; he was genuinely worried about his friends. It was just coincidence that they had run into them twice, but still, Virgil couldn't ignore the feeling that there was something else going on here, something that he didn't know how to express.

What he didn't notice, however, was Arthur suddenly breaking away from the group, expertly shadowing him back to Two. Normally Virgil was on high alert, he knew when he was being watched by unwelcome eyes. But even as Merlin practically yelped and scurried after his friend, only to be dragged along as well, Virgil had no idea that there was someone following him. Instead, he kept his attention focused on what Scott had said about getting the power station sorted and heading home for a much needed rest.

Everything else, Virgil decided, was just the tiredness fogging his brain.

But when the motion sensors in Two started blaring at him, indicating that someone else was aboard, Virgil felt his heart thud uncomfortably. He swiftly did a sweep with the cameras, knowing that Brains had set them up to detect anything. It didn't matter if the intruder was crouching behind something in order to avoid being seen, body temperature and even the pounding of their hearts would be enough for Virgil to know where they were.

"What the-?" Virgil leant forward, scanning the monitors anxiously and trying to work out how anyone could slip into the machine without him knowing about it. Apart from the access tunnel straight through to the flight deck, everything else was sealed off; there had been no need to open the pod here. There was nowhere else to go, but the cameras certainly weren't picking up anyone in the corridor. Sealing the doors – both the inner and exterior ones, Virgil made the sensors do a more thorough sweep. He even turned in his chair to look around him as he did so. He was too tired, if someone was there, it would be all too easy to catch him off guard. But there was no one there, and one glance at the monitors showed they weren't having any luck either.

So why was the alarm continuing to sound? How could anything be on board when the heat sensors weren't detecting anything? To start with, he wasn't even sure how someone could avoid being detected and yet still set off the alarms, but then he decided not to think about it. If he was honest, the complexity of Brains' system still confused him. Just because one reading couldn't find anything didn't mean all sensors were the same. After completing a more thorough check, Virgil sighed, patching himself through to Scott. The Field Commander needed to know about this. Yet Virgil was concerned, his eyes staying firmly locked on the visuals that he had pulled up from around the ship. There was nothing there, nothing would be able to hide from those sensors anyway. Anything alive in this ship would be picked up. They did have the most advanced machinery in the world, after all.

Machinery, Virgil decided, that was in need of a good service if it was beginning to act up like this. Now more determined than ever to get home, Virgil began to take flight.

Nothing could get past their machinery.

Nothing, that was, expect magic.

Strangely enough, that was not a thought that crossed Virgil's mind as he told Scott it seemed to be a false alarm and started making his way towards the power station.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the delay, real life got in the way along with plot lines that didn't want to be written and characters who were being too stubborn for their own good.**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

"Arthur! Arthur, stop! What are you doing?" Merlin could only gape as he watched Arthur begin to shadow the member of International Rescue back towards his craft. Arthur didn't even glance around and Merlin found himself swearing under his breath. He recognised Arthur's stance from all those hunting trips that he had been dragged on, despite the fact that they had been lifetimes ago. Arthur had obviously got it into his head that he wanted to do this, and Merlin knew from experience there would be no stopping him now.

"Arthur!" Merlin found he was hissing, trying to get Arthur's attention but not wanting anyone else to turn around. Despite Arthur moving carefully and using whatever shelter he could, Merlin knew he would still be seen if the other man was to turn around.

"What's he doing?" Gwaine had clearly caught on to the tone in Merlin's voice and turned to see what was going on.

"Helping me," Merlin muttered. He knew that was what Arthur was doing. Merlin was interested in International Rescue and their possible connections with Excalibur, so in true Arthur style, he was doing something about it. But it seemed that even being dead for all this time had done nothing to help Arthur's subtlety and he was simply planning on just walking in. Merlin knew he was trying to help and was trying to get the answers that Merlin wanted as a way of thanking him for protecting him all that time ago and helping to keep Camelot safe – Arthur was never one to simply say it – but Merlin also knew the once-King was about to witness first-hand just how much time had moved on without him. Arthur couldn't even work the dishwasher yet; there was no way that he was going to be able to take on the most advanced technology the planet had ever seen.

"Merlin, you do know these guys are really serious about their technology, right?"

Merlin rolled his eyes at Gwaine, his words not helping matters in the slightest. Knowing he didn't have a choice, he ran after Arthur even as the man disappeared under the shadows of the great Thunderbird. It was far bigger than Merlin had thought, but he had only ever seen glimpses when a brave camera crew zoomed in more than they should have done to get the machinery into view. Through watching them all this time, Merlin knew they didn't like being on camera and not many would take the risk to capture the shot. They didn't even come close to doing it justice; the thing was huge up close. Merlin knew there was a danger due to the power station a little way down the road, and knew these guys weren't going to hang around if they had another rescue to carry out. It meant he had to move fast.

Merlin broke into a sprint, somehow tripping over his own feet and almost falling on top of Arthur. Arthur barely even flinched, but instead grabbed his ex-servant and dragged him down under the Thunderbird, making sure they were out of sight.

"What are you doing?"

"What are _you_ doing? You can't seriously be thinking of going in there? They'll find you and probably kill you, Arthur. People keep secrets for a reason."

"You'd know about that, wouldn't you?"

Merlin winced, knowing that even after all this time, it still hurt when Arthur used that tone on him.

"Arthur, you don't understand… they'll know you are there within a second, even despite the fact that you can keep yourself hidden. You can't outwit technology, it doesn't work like that."

"I'm not an idiot, _Mer_lin." Arthur shot Merlin such a scathing look that the warlock somehow felt as if he had missed the point somewhere along the way. Arthur continued to watch him steadily and even as the machine above them started to rumble as the engines flared into life, Merlin realised what Arthur was getting at. His jaw dropped.

"You can't be serious!"

Arthur flashed him a somewhat devious grin, the same type that had used to mean they were about to go against Uther when the elder Pendragon was king.

"No."

"Come on." Arthur didn't wait to hear the thousands of reasons currently running through Merlin's head about why this was a bad idea. Instead, he just grabbed the man by the arm and yanked him to his feet. The doors were sealing, and part of Merlin just hoped that luck would be on their side and they would close before Arthur managed to get them in.

But luck never had liked Merlin.

They made it through, even if Merlin did feel like Arthur was about to pull his arm off when it wasn't certain whether all of Merlin would make it through or not. A red light immediately started flashing above the door, and Merlin had a feeling they were just beginning to discover how fast International Rescue's technology truly was. He didn't have time to say anything before Arthur shoved him behind what looked like a metal crate and ducked down next to him.

"Cameras." he breathed and Merlin nodded his understanding.

"They will be more for show than anything else. Trust me, if these guys are really serious about keeping a secret, cameras won't be the only way they monitor whether someone is here or not."

"Well? Do something then."

It was Merlin's turn to shoot Arthur a scathing look, but he found himself obeying anyway. Shutting his eyes, he found he was searching himself for the spark of magic. He could use it without even thinking, but he never normally used it against technology. He couldn't start dismantling things for he knew that would cause greater problems. He needed to know how they would be detected in order to know what to do to shield them both.

It was as if time had stood still. Merlin knew that the chances were he had made it do so in order to give him time to make sure they could not be detected. His senses were stretching out, and it was as if something had just clicked into place. Merlin let the magic roll off him, combating the sensors and making sure that they couldn't be detected.

"What did you do?"

A roar ran through the craft and the floor below them seemed to tremble, stealing Merlin's answer before he could say it. The warlock looked up, a smile on his face as he realised it meant the magic had worked and the pilot didn't know they were there. He was taking off. But then he took one look at Arthur's face and knew that he had bigger problems.

Arthur was white.

He couldn't even work the dishwasher yet without having to swear multiple times at it. The idea of flying was clearly terrifying him. Personally, Merlin loved it. He had been flying long before the technology had allowed it to happen, and still found that nothing was as exhilarating as being on the back of a dragon and swooping through the clouds. How could it bother him when he had had lifetimes to get used to the idea?

Arthur, however, had only been back for a few months. Merlin had only just got him used to being in a car, not even thinking about when they were going to have to fly.

"This was your idea, remember?"

Arthur shot him a scathing look, but he had taken hold of a small piece of railing that was attached to the wall and seemed to be gripping it tightly, his knuckles white. Merlin made to move over to him when the floor seemed to lurch and he ended up sprawled. He knew that they had taken off, that there would be no going back now. If the magic slipped up at all, he knew that it was possible they would be killed.

Strangely enough, the thought made him laugh.

"What's so funny?" Arthur was watching him suspiciously. His grip didn't seem to loosen, but the sight of Merlin lying across the floor laughing to himself meant some of the tension began to leave his body. Merlin shook his head, struggling to sit up. No sooner had he done so when the Thunderbird changed direction and he simply ended up rolling instead. Arthur grabbed him by the shoulder as Merlin almost crashed into him, hauling him upright and forcing him to hold on as well. Merlin did so, chuckling the whole time.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just… does this ever remind you of how things used to be? Stalking something that doesn't know we are there, knowing that discovery would probably mean getting killed?"

"This is totally different to trying to flush bandits out of the forest, Merlin." Arthur's tone was clipped and proper, yet Merlin could see the slight smile on his face. The thought that this wasn't so different from what they used to do was clearly helping Arthur relax and forget the fact that he was airborne.

"So what's the plan?"

"The plan?" Merlin repeated, staring at Arthur in bewilderment. "This was your idea."

"No. You are the one who has always wanted to meet them properly, but clearly didn't have the courage to do anything about it. I've got you there, so what's the rest of the plan?"

Merlin sighed, shifting into a more comfortable position. He leant against the wall – ignoring the way it seemed to be vibrating slightly – and braced his legs against the metal crate they were hiding behind.

"They'll have to make sure the power station is safe first. Then I guess they'll head back to their headquarters. We stay hidden until then, have a look around to see if they have the sword there, then get out before they know we were there."

"What if their headquarters is an island? Then how do we get off?"

"Why would it be on an island? We'll be fine." Merlin just hoped that his words sounded more confident than he was feeling. After all, there was a reason why no one had ever been able to get close to International Rescue before. He knew that it was only through his magic that they had even taken off without being discovered. If anyone else had tried it, they probably wouldn't have even made it into the Thunderbird without being caught. He had spent years wondering if Excalibur was linked with their desire to save the world, ever since he had begun to realise what it was that International Rescue stood for. To finally feel like he was going to be finding some answers was slightly terrifying and exciting at the same time.

"You okay?" Glancing over at Arthur, Merlin wasn't sure whether he should be worried or not by the fact the ex-king hadn't regained any of his colour even though they couldn't particularly tell that they were in the air.

"We're walking back. I don't care how long it takes, we're never getting into one of these things again."

"You know it's supposed to be the safest way of transport?"

"If we were meant to fly, we would have done so."

"You've flown before," Merlin murmured mildly, plucking at a stray thread on his sleeve rather than looking at Arthur. Even after all this time, it was still painful.

"What?"

"Well, you were practically dead at the time."

"What are you talking about? No, wait, I don't want to know. You always get that look on your face when you are thinking about Camelot. I think you should focus on here and now, don't you?"

"Yes, _Sire_," Merlin muttered, shooting Arthur a scathing look but finding that he was doing as he was told anyway. Arthur, it seemed, was not thinking about now.

"Got any ideas about the fire?"

Merlin blinked, glancing at him as he shifted his position.

"It was magical, I know that. I should have been able to stop it if it was just an ordinary one. I don't know though, there didn't seem to be anyone around the house. Everyone is safe, that is what counts."

"But they might not have been. What if someone set it deliberately?"

"No one even knows we are there, Arthur. It was just an accident, I'm sure." Merlin didn't know if he was trying to reassure Arthur or himself. He had sensed the magic in the fire, but it hadn't felt threatening. At least, not as threatening as it could have been if someone was actually trying to kill them. But right now, he couldn't help but think they had more problems to worry about, such as sneaking onto the base of one of the most secretive operations in existence. Merlin couldn't think about the fire now; not if he wanted to keep Arthur safe.

Silence fell between the two as minutes stretched on into hours. Merlin had no idea how long it would take to make sure the power station was secure and then to get back to the headquarters, wherever they were. It could be the other side of the world for all he knew. It didn't matter how fast these machines were, it would still take a certain amount of time to get to wherever they were going.

It was two hours later that Merlin felt the change in the engines. They were coming into land. Even Arthur, who clearly didn't understand anything about the machine they were in, could sense the change and he sat up a little straighter. Merlin was pleased to see that he had regained some of his colour, for he had a feeling that he was going to need the kingly attributes that Arthur still possessed to keep them alive through this. He checked the magic was keeping them hidden as the ship changed angle a few times, obviously navigating itself into a landing position. The engines roared one last time before all fell still and silent.

Merlin and Arthur shared a glance full of anxiety and excitement. It seemed just like old times.

They were there. Wherever there was.

-X-

"Guys?"

"We're in position, Virg. Come out like normal, duck around to the left and you'll come up behind us. Gordon has got you a gun, we're covering you. Are you sure..?"

"About what I heard? Yeah, Scott, I'm sure." Virgil took his thumb off the button connecting him with the rest of the family and blew out a long breath, combing his fingers through his hair as he did so. The only reason why he wasn't completely freaking out over the fact someone had managed to smuggle themselves on board was because the passengers seemed a bit bizarre. No one would stage a conversation like that and not mean it.

After realising that the sensors were still going wild but not seeing anyone, Virgil had patched through to John, wondering if perhaps his oldest brother would be able to do something about the signal. John had been as mystified as Virgil for the whole time that the boys had been making sure the power station was safe. It was only because he too was unable to get the alarm turned off that John accepted that something was going on rather than just the machine malfunctioning. He should have been able to over-ride it from Five. Technically, he did, only for it to go off again. Something was still setting the alarm off, they just couldn't see what it was. But on realising that they couldn't see anything, no matter what he tried, John had turned his attention to the other sensors. They might not be able to see whoever it was, but would they perhaps be able to hear them?

Needless to say, the conversation they had found themselves privy to was one that was not going to leave their minds any time soon. In fact, Virgil was glad that John was listening in as well, for it meant that he hadn't just completely lost it and gone totally mad. The intruders were talking about magic as if it was a real and an everyday occurrence. There had been something about a sword and speculation as to whether it was here on the island or not. It didn't take Virgil long to match the names with the voices and know that these were no code names. He genuinely seemed to have Merlin and Arthur in his Thunderbird.

As if that hadn't been bad enough, Virgil was unable to pick up any sort of threat in their words. It was obvious they didn't know they could be heard. After all, they had somehow fooled the other sensors into hiding their presence, why should they think that someone was listening in on their conversation? But knowing they were speaking openly and freely just confused Virgil even more. The only reason they seemed to have smuggled themselves on board was to find some sort of sword. It would have made more sense to him if they were after the machines – they weren't the first and wouldn't be the last, not to mention the boys knew how to handle that threat.

But was this a threat?

John had eventually patched through to the island to give a report on what was going on. Initially, their father seemed to believe that they were playing some sort of prank, despite the fact that his boys never crossed that line when they were on International Rescue business. John had sent through some of the audio and Jeff had listened in a stunned silence to what his sons had been hearing. Upon realising that whoever these people were, they were smart enough to fool the alarms, Jeff had snapped into action.

Virgil had flown home like normal, listening intently and trying to keep himself calm. He had offered to go somewhere else rather than the island, but Jeff had coolly told him that the intruders were not going to see past the silos anyway so he would rather Virgil didn't try and deal with them on his own. Scott had paced him back for the majority of the journey before shooting off so he could be there when Virgil arrived.

He had landed his 'bird countless times over the years he had been her pilot. Yet Virgil didn't think he had ever been so worried as he was as he brought her in to land, knowing that things could potentially go to hell the second that he switched the engines off. He found that he had locked the cabin door without realising he had done it, some vague attempt at protecting himself. Protecting himself from what, he wasn't sure. Again, he couldn't help but feel that the intruders weren't going to hurt them, he was sure something like that would have come up in their conversation if that was the case.

It just made no sense at all.

"Coming down now." Taking a deep breath, Virgil leapt from his seat and practically sprinted for the exit. He only paused to make sure that everything was locked firmly behind him. Despite not believing they were a threat, these men obviously were mad by the way they were talking about magic, and Virgil had no desire to face them on his own.

"F.A.B."

Hearing Scott's voice – cool and calm like always – made Virgil pull himself together slightly. He slowed down as he exited the 'bird, knowing that running would make his family think that something was wrong and he could be caught in the cross-fire. As Scott had instructed, he ducked under his Thunderbird and came up behind Gordon. His brother wordlessly handed him a gun and then turned his attention back to the green machine, never having truly looked away. Scott and Gordon were aiming steadily, taking the front row while Alan and their father stood behind them. They too were armed, but not as confident with what they were doing. Virgil sidled up to Scott's side even as his brother hit a button connecting him to the intercoms within the Thunderbird.

"We know you are in there. Come out with your hands up."

Virgil found himself glancing at Scott as he finished the message. His brother had his eyes fixed firmly on the same door that Virgil himself had just come was the only way in or out, Virgil had sealed all other exits. Considering the intruders didn't know their way around, it would be the only route they could take.

"What if they don't come out?"

"Then we go in."

Virgil found himself swallowing, wondering what damage could be done to the inside of his 'bird if Scott and Gordon went in thinking there was a threat.

"I don't think they mean to hurt us."

"We can't take that risk…"

"He's right, you know." Everyone's attention snapped back to the door as a skinny, tall young man emerged. His dark hair flopped down his forehead, almost falling into his eyes. Virgil groaned, knowing that he had been right in guessing who their stowaways were.

"Where's Arthur, Merlin?" he called, trying to tell the family at the same time that these were the names they genuinely went by. Merlin shrugged, an easy grin on his face. His hands were level with his head, but he didn't seem to really care that there were guns pointing at him.

"Probably still working out how to open the automatic door; he doesn't like technology."

"What?"

"Don't even go there, Gords." Hearing the confusion and the amusement alike lacing Gordon's voice, Virgil tried to steer his brother away from that topic before it could get out of hand. Gordon didn't even have time to respond before Arthur appeared, almost crashing into Merlin as he turned to face the family. His eyes widened at the sight of the guns, but Virgil sensed that there was more curiosity than fear. Almost as if he didn't quite know what to expect…

"Why are you here?" Scott's voice rang with authority and Merlin instantly reacted to it.

"We're just after the sword, that's all. You see, there is this legend... Well, it's not really a legend considering it is true. I'd know, I was the one who started the stories, but that doesn't matter…

"Merlin, shut up." Arthur's voice might have been quiet, but Virgil found himself shifting slightly. It had the same note in it that Scott's did, the same quiet confidence, the same expectation that people would follow their lead. Whoever these men were, it was clear that Arthur was used to having his orders followed. Out of the corner of his eye, Virgil could see Scott shifting and he had to grin. It was obvious that his brother had also realised that Arthur was used to being in command, and that was not sitting too well with the Field Commander.

"Just give us the sword and no one will get hurt."

Gordon laughed out loud at Arthur's words. "We're the ones with the guns. We're the ones who control how this goes."

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you."

"Arthur…no." To Virgil's surprise, Merlin looked angry at Arthur's words. It was as if his friend had been directing his words towards Merlin, almost as if it was some sort of order. Whatever it was that Arthur had meant, Merlin clearly understood it and was not happy.

"There is no sword here." Jeff's voice rang out, clear and loud around the silos as he stepped forward to join his sons. "How did you get past the alarm systems?"

"There's no sword?"

Virgil almost found himself feeling sorry for Merlin as the man's face seemed to crumple. Whatever it was that he believed, he believed it strongly enough to risk everything to get there and find this sword. They had overheard their conversation, they knew how much the pair believed it to be true.

"No. How did you do it?"

"It was easy. All I had to do was figure out what you were sensing then cast a quick spell to counteract that. I couldn't get the alarms to turn off though, sorry for the annoyance."

"How did you know we were there?" Arthur looked confused, glancing at Merlin and then back at Virgil. The artist knew why. If Merlin had done what he said he had done – or something along those lines at least considering they were talking about magic again – then there shouldn't have been a welcome partywaiting for them. Virgil knew they believed they had been hidden from the sensors.

"You only shielded from sight," Virgil said softly, ignoring Scott's furious look. It was almost the same look he had used to give Virgil when they were children and he had encouraged Gordon to do something they both knew wasn't allowed. Virgil ignored him, grinning as Merlin face-palmed himself.

"I knew I should have checked again. Why didn't you tell me to check again?"

"Me? It's your magic. How can you not even do that one thing right, _Mer_lin? How am I supposed to know what sorcery you are wielding?"

"So you'll let yourself not know when I'm using it to keep us hidden, but then will quite happily use it as a threat when the timing suits you? That is not fair, Arthur, and you know it."

"Don't…"

Jeff cleared his throat, breaking off the argument that was emerging in front of him. Both Merlin and Arthur jumped, flushing as if they had been scolded and Virgil found his grin widening. He knew that cough as well. It was normally the one that broke up fights even before the brothers involved truly knew they were about to break out.

"What sword is it you are looking for?" Jeff's voice was more relaxed this time. Virgil knew why; he knew it was his father's way of lulling them into a false sense of security in order to make sure no one ended up hurt. Jeff wouldn't let any hint of a threat show in his voice until he knew they would have the upper hand in a fight.

"My sword." Arthur responded promptly, a hint of arrogance in his voice. Merlin rolled his eyes, looking thoroughly annoyed.

"We're looking for Excalibur."

"Course you are."

Arthur scowled at the obvious mocking tone in Gordon's voice and Virgil found himself holding out his hand to stop his brother from saying anything else. It didn't matter how crazy these men were sounding, they believed what they were saying was true. Virgil knew how desperate and therefore dangerous that could potentially make them, despite the fact they were unarmed. Gordon winding them up wouldn't help anyone.

"Then your journey has been in vain."

Virgil couldn't believe how calm his father could sound, but he could see from the way his shoulders had tensed that it was all an act. He was just as on edge as the rest of them. They had no idea if these men were armed, or what they would do if they decided the family were lying.

"Look, I know you don't believe me. If this sword exists and is here, it has been influencing you. It gives off vibes, it makes you want to do what you are doing. I don't know what it will come to if left unchecked. That kind of power is too strong unless you know what you are doing."

"I'm sorry, but there is nothing here for you to worry about. We can handle everything we own, trust me."

"That sword is made of powerful magic that could kill you all if don't listen to me!" Merlin almost sounded emotional, his breathing picking up as he implored them to believe what he was saying.

"There is no such thing as magic."

"Then how did we get here?"

"Enough of this." Scott stepped forward, his hand tightening on his gun. "We're taking you back to the mainland and you are never going to try anything like this again, understand?"

"We don't take orders from you."

Virgil inwardly groaned at the tone in Arthur's voice, knowing he had just challenged Scott. If there was one thing he could say about his oldest brother, it was that he did not back down from a challenge. Scott took another step forward and Jeff's hand rose to rest lightly on his chest, stopping him from going any further. Merlin finally lowered his hands, only to grip Arthur's arm in a similar fashion.

"You're not king here, Arthur, stop acting like one."

"He's acting like one."

"He's their leader, he… just think of it like visiting another kingdom. You have to live by the rules of the king there, no matter what your own status. This is their home, Arthur. You're the one who said they were like the knights, would you let any newcomer threaten them without reacting to it?" Merlin spoke fast and soft, yet Virgil caught every word. Despite not feeling the threat from them, he had a feeling that if they were to try and force them to leave, the brothers would meet their match. There was something about them, something that Virgil couldn't quite put his finger on.

At the back of his mind, he knew what it was. But accepting that would be ludicrous and he knew that he would be the one being taken over to the mainland for a check-up if he were to voice what was going through his head.

How was he supposed to admit that he was beginning to believe them?


	5. Chapter 5

"You can't be serious!"

Scott only just managed to keep his voice low as he stared at his younger brother in astonishment. Despite trying to keep calm, Virgil found that he was glancing over at the two stowaways before answering. Jeff had ordered them to stay in one corner of the silos, leaving Gordon to guard them while he pulled everyone else to one side.

"I'm not saying that I believe them!"

"Yes, you are. You just said that you think they might have done something magical to get on board."

"No, that's not… Damn it, Scott, I'm only trying to come up with a rational explanation for how they managed to fool the sensors." Virgil ran a hand through his hair, resisting the urge to bang his head against the nearest piece of machinery. He wasn't even sure what he was saying anymore. They had spent the last ten minutes bickering in low voices about how Merlin and Arthur could have fooled their technology in order to get this far. However they had done it, it clearly showed there was a weakness in Brains' systems that they needed to fix. They hadn't been able to decide what they were supposed to do with them – they couldn't just let them go, nor could they keep them here. But now magic had come up in the conversation, Virgil had a feeling things had just got a lot more complicated.

He simply couldn't figure out what the men had done. They had searched the Thunderbird and the unwanted passengers for any sign of a device that would have enabled them to slip aboard, but nothing had been found. Virgil was sure that Merlin had looked at them almost sympathetically when Scott had demanded to know how they had done it, but it had been the smug look on Arthur's face that had caused Jeff to interfere before things got any more out of control than they already had done.

"We need to get Brains down here to have a look."

Their father was clearly trying to keep calm, but Virgil knew what that frown on the bridge of his nose meant. He had no more of an idea of how it had been done than his sons, and he hated that. This pair might not be a threat to anyone, but if they could get to the island with only their voices giving away their presence, then who else could do the same thing?

"He won't find anything. I'm telling you, Dad, both the ship and the people are clean. Whatever they did, they did at the accident or they did on the way."

"But you just said they were clean, so how could they have done anything on the way?" Virgil looked pointedly at Scott, who threw his hands up in exasperation.

"You are being completely irrational, Virgil, have you even heard what you are saying? Are you sure you didn't hit your head…?"

"Don't even go there, Scott, I'm fine. You just don't want to admit that you don't like that they have bested us in this round."

"They're dangerous, and they haven't bested anyone."

"They're not."

Virgil had made to open his mouth, but just found himself blinking as his father got there first. The man was the last person he thought would be defending their uninvited guests, but then he followed his eye-line. Gordon had slung his gun over his back and was chatting with them both easily. Merlin had relaxed, and even from this distance they could tell that Arthur wasn't as tense as he had been. It was known that Gordon could calm down anyone if he had the chance, it was what made him such a valuable member of the team. But this was different. If these men were after something –something more than just a sword that the Tracys didn't have – now would have been the time to act. Gordon wouldn't be able to react in time, and if they knew enough about them to be able to sneak on board, then they knew enough to know the Tracys never let anything hurt their family.

But rather than pressing their advantage, the two were instead laughing along with Gordon, as if something like this was just an everyday occurrence.

"Fine, so they are not dangerous in that sense. But they _are_ due to the fact they managed to smuggle themselves onto the island. And according to Virgil, they did it by using magic!"

Virgil tried not to wince at the note in Scott's voice, but somehow, it made him feel like that he was the one who had done something wrong. He glanced at his father for some sort of sign about how the man was feeling, but wasn't expecting to see the thoughtful look on his face. Scott obviously saw it as well for he blew out a long breath in exasperation.

"You can't be serious? You actually think that they used magic to fool the 'birds and get onto the island? Dad, come on, this is insane…"

"Is it?"

"What?"

"How many run-ins with the Hood have you now had, Scott? Brains and Tin-Tin themselves have testified about the man's powers and Kyrano has said how powerfulhe is. He moves things with his mind, he infects people's souls. Maybe it isn't magic, maybe there is something else to it. But surely he can't be the only one in the world who can do something like that? What if Virgil didn't see them simply because they didn't want him to?"

"You mean they got into my head?" Virgil found himself swallowing, glancing over at Merlin again before taking a step towards his father without quite realising he had done it. Scott's posture seemed to soften at the movement and Virgil realised just how out of his depth the oldest brother was feeling.

"Not necessarily. I just don't think we should be so quick to rule out any possibility right now. Don't look at me like that, Scott. We've had experience with powers that cannot be explained before. Why should this look any different? Do they look mad to you?"

Scott glanced over at them and shook his head.

"I also know that you heard what Merlin was saying to Arthur. Whatever they are involved with, they truly believe it. No one can fake the look of confusion Arthur had on his face. Whoever he is, that is a young man out of his depth. I say we talk to them, make them feel more at ease, and go from there."

"Fine." There was a snap to Scott's voice and he made to stride over the second he had finished speaking. His father, however, wasn't letting him go anywhere. He took hold of Scott's arm, gently shaking his head.

"We're supposed to be putting them at ease, Scott. You go upstairs and get Brains. I don't care that you boys have already done a sweep on Two, I want him to scour it with every piece of software he has to make sure that we haven't missed anything. Until that happens, we are going to try and find out what is going on. Understand?"

"F.A.B." Scott sent a suspicious look to the other side of the silos and began to walk off upstairs.

"Do you really mean what you were saying, Dad? That you think it is possible there is more than just science going on here?"

"Everything has an explanation, Virg. But I do know that this is something beyond our understanding. We've prepared for every situation, and they've just brushed through as if our security didn't even exist. Come on, let's go and save Gordon."

Virgil withheld from saying what was going through his mind about Gordon at that moment as he moved towards them. It was clear that his little brother had forgotten the fact that he was supposed to be guarding the two men and had just settled for having a casual chat. He seemed to know they were coming over, however, and turned his head, grinning at them.

"Where's Scott?"

"Upstairs. Gordon…"

"Dad, I don't know if you have been properly introduced to our guests yet. Merlin, Arthur, my father, Jeff."

"Sir." Arthur seemed to almost bow his head until Merlin nudged him, fighting back a grin and stretching out his hand instead.

"Sorry about all of this. It really does make sense, honest."

Virgil had to bite back his own smile at the bemused look on his father's face as he found himself shaking hands with Merlin. Arthur shifted self-consciously, not quite seeming to know what to do with himself.

"And I think you guys know Virgil, you did catch a lift back with him. I so hope that John had access to the visuals on the flight deck, Virg, I can't wait to see what you did when you realised that there was someone else on board and you couldn't find them."

"Maybe standard security checks knowing that we could potentially all be exposed if not killed?" Virgil answered coolly, trying hard to make sure that he didn't blush. His face must have been a picture, but he didn't appreciate Gordon making light of their security breach even if they had all reached the same conclusion that there was nothing harmful about the pair. Gordon grimaced and it was clear that he realised how that had come out.

"Virg…"

"Gordon, why don't you go upstairs and get the briefing from Scott?"

Gordon glanced at their father and nodded. He clapped Merlin on the shoulder and took off in the same direction Scott had gone.

"Virgil, go with him."

"No, I'm staying here." Virgil frowned, not liking the way his father was looking. Jeff glanced at him and Virgil could see just how tense he was. He seemed to realise that Virgil had no intention of going anywhere, however, and Virgil was just thankful that he didn't try to push it.

"Very well."

Virgil barely even saw his father move until it was too late. In one movement, he had grabbed his gun again and hoisted it into a secure position. Both Merlin and Arthur made to step in front of the other, ending up banging shoulders and glaring at each other.

"Magic, remember?" Merlin hissed, trying to shove Arthur back behind him. Arthur simply glared at him and remained where he was. Virgil found himself staring and he could hear the sharp intake of breath from his father. He had no idea what the man was planning, but if Merlin was convinced that he had some kind of power which would enable him to stand at gunpoint and not flinch, then there was definitely something there that needed to be questioned.

"Dad…what are you doing?" Keeping his voice low and reassuring, Virgil tried to move forward himself. Jeff stuck out a hand, caught his son in the chest and shoved him back again.

"Getting answers. How did you get here?"

"They've already said, Dad. Why do you think their story will be any different this time?"

"Look, Sir, I know you don't believe in magic. Even in our time when it was common it was a hard thing to get your head around. Well, providing of course you still had a head… That tended to be the drawback if you started looking into it too closely…"

"What he is trying to say is that we won't hurt you." Arthur's voice was calm even as he shot Merlin an annoyed glance. Once again, Virgil found himself drawing comparisons between the blond and Scott. That tone was almost the same as Scott's "rescuer" voice – the quiet confidence that everything was going to work out alright just because he was the one in charge and wasn't going to let any other outcome be the result. It didn't matter that Arthur had a gun pointed at him, he was determined to try and put the situation at ease.

Every single thing that happened with these two only seemed to confuse Virgil even more. They should either be aggressive – they had just forced their way onto the island, regardless of what they said - or they should be worried over the fact they were being held at gunpoint. But somehow, they were both looking like this was nothing more than an inconvenience, and for the life of him, Virgil couldn't figure it out.

"We just want to know if the sword is here, and make sureits magic can't hurt anyone."

"Say it is here..."

Virgil glanced at his father in surprise. Even to his own son, Jeff's face gave nothing away. "How are you going to make any difference to its protection? We have possession of some of the most advanced technology the world has ever seen, we live on an island and no one knows who we are. If this sword is dangerous, it isn't to us and we won't let anyone else get hurt."

"You're the Tracy family."

This time, Virgil could see Jeff's reaction as the man visibly tensed.

"Did you tell them?"

"No. None of us did, Dad." Virgil found that his heart was pounding uncomfortably hard now. Not only did these men know they were International Rescue, they knew who they really were as well. For years people had been trying to get their hands on that sort of information, yet these two - and Virgil had yet to work out whether they were crazy or not - somehow knew.

"What do you want?" There was a quiet, resigned note to Jeff's voice now. He almost sounded defeated, as if he knew he couldn't just threaten them.

"Nothing. We just want to make sure the sword is safe."

"Fine. This way."

"Dad!" Keeping his voice at a low hiss, Virgil grabbed his father's arm, eyes searching the man's face intently to find out what he was up to. Jeff looked back coolly and Virgil frowned. It was one thing for them to confirm that they were in fact the Tracys, but that didn't mean they should just take the intruders up into the house. That was their personal space, something they fought to protect even more than their identity, and his father was just going to let them in? As Virgil tried to ask with his eyes what his father thought he was doing, Jeff let the smallest of smiles cross his face and he nodded reassuringly at his son.

"It's okay, Virg. This way, gentlemen."

Virgil fell back, watching as his father motioned for the two strangers to follow him. Watching them intently, Virgil followed behind, not really paying much attention to where they were going. Only when his feet automatically tried to take him to the elevators did he realise his father wasn't going the same way. The frown firmly back on his face, Virgil tried to figure out where they were going. There was nothing down this way, it simply curved away from the silos and led to storage compartments for the simple pieces that they tended to order in bulk.

"If you would like to just come through here…" Jeff motioned the way, standing back to let Merlin and Arthur go in front of him. The father caught the son's eye and Virgil nodded, slipping forward until he was side by side with his dad. Arthur went through first, his whole body rippling with tension. He clearly knew that he was walking into something unknown and wasn't sure how to react, and Virgil found himself almost admiring his caution. In their line of work and with the amount of secrecy they had, it was something the artist could appreciate. Merlin seemed more relaxed, but Virgil wasn't fooled. Judging from what he had overheard so far, Merlin could clearly defend himself.

But finally, they were in.

"Now!" Jeff's voice rang out clearly and even though the pair turned, Virgil had already thrown his weight against the door.

"Merlin!"

As Arthur sprang forward, Jeff put his weight behind the door as well, and between the two of them, they managed to heave it shut. Fingers fumbling, Virgil managed to drive the bolt home before drawing back, panting. He grinned at his father, only now truly realising the whole set-up. The storage area was filled with great metal crates. This one had been empty thanks to their last lot of repairs, but they were solid and had strong locks. Unless they had been telling the truth about their magic, there was no way they were getting out of that.

"I actually thought you were going to take them upstairs," Virgil admitted, wiping his hand across his forehead and grinning apologetically at his father. Jeff smiled back, reaching over and ruffling Virgil's hair.

"Don't ever think that I don't take your safety seriously." Despite the smile on his face, Jeff's eyes were serious.

Virgil nodded. "Now what?"

"We go and talk to your brothers and see if we can find out precisely who these guys are. Scott will have been digging things up while we've been down here."

"How do you know that?"

"Virgil, do you really think your brother would have just been sitting there twiddling his thumbs after I sent him upstairs, considering we have two strangers on the island who somehow have over-ridden all of our security? They should have something by now, even if it is just information on who these two truly are." Casting the crate a suspicious look and ignoring the pounding he could hear coming from within it, Jeff turned on his heel and walked off.

"Dad? You do realise they both stepped in front of a gun and weren't afraid? What if they can do something, even if it is just the same as the Hood? The crate won't hold them."

"No, but it will buy us time. John will have the place watched and can tell us the second they get out."

"You really think they can?" Virgil felt nerves claw at him knowing that his father was appreciating there was a possibility the strangers could escape the crate.

"Like I said, I take your safety seriously, Virgil. Now come on, let's get upstairs."

The two men moved swiftly through the silos as they headed towards the elevators. As Jeff stepped in, holding it for Virgil, the artist found that he was glancing back towards the crates again.

"Virg?"

His father's soft call drew his attention and he forced a smile on his face before climbing in. For the whole journey upstairs, his mind was reeling over what could be happening even as his father talked swiftly into his watch, instructing John to keep an eye on the place and to report the second something moved down there without one of them knowing about it. Virgil wasn't listening though. There was something about the pair locked downstairs that he couldn't quite figure out. He knew it was to do with the honesty burning from their eyes. Whoever they were, they truly believed everything they had been saying.

Virgil knew that made them dangerous.

"Are you okay, son?"

Virgil blinked, startled by the feeling of his father's hand on his shoulder, He looked up to find the man watching him in concern. Forcing a smile onto his face, he nodded.

"I'm fine."

"I know it must have been a bit of a shock hearing their voices and not being able to see anyone. You must have been afraid," Jeff continued, his eyes not leaving his son's face as he clearly tried to work out whether Virgil was going to lie or not. Virgil shrugged.

"Like I said, I'm fine."

For a moment, it looked as if Jeff was going to protest. He backed down at the last moment, giving Virgil's shoulder a squeeze before dropping his hand again. The pair spent the rest of the journey upstairs in silence and Virgil found himself wondering precisely what was going through his father's head.

The second they arrived in the lounge, Scott and Gordon practically fell on them.

"Where are they?"

"What's happening?"

"John says you were keeping an eye on them, what have you done with them?"

"What do they want?"

The pair of them tripped each other up with questions, firing one after the other and practically yelling over each other by the end. Jeff held up his hands, shooting Virgil a grimace. The artist grinned and brushed past his demanding brothers, sinking down onto the couch and running his fingers through his hair. He didn't notice initially that his actions had caused the rest of the room to go silent until he looked up and found the rest of the room watching him.

"What?"

"You okay?" Scott moved towards him as he spoke, his face showing the same expression as their father's had on the way up. Virgil forced himself to drop his hands.

"Will people stop asking if I'm okay or not and figure out who the hell the two guys locked in our storage unit are?"

"You put them in there?"

Jeff shrugged at Gordon, a small grin on his face.

"What else was I supposed to do with them?"

The redhead didn't seem to have an answer to that and simply grinned.

"Who _are _they?" Scott demanded, glancing between his father and brothers. Watching him, Virgil realised how hard this must be. It was bad enough that someone had managed to get onto the island; regardless of the fact they didn't seem to have any ill intentions towards either the family or International Rescue. But the fact that they were then talking about magic and mythical swords meant the whole situation was flying out of Scott's control. It had been crazy enough when John had intercepted the call. But the fact the problem had now literally been brought to their door changed things.

"Merlin and Arthur," Gordon muttered, sitting down next to Virgil and looking up at Scott.

The older brother glared. "Who are they really?"

"Those are their names, Scott." Jeff sounded as exasperated by the whole situation as Scott. He perched on the edge of his desk so he could watch all three present sons.

"Maybe, but…"

"But what? It doesn't mean that is who they _are_, it just means that is what their names are."

"Why doesn't it mean who they are? You saw how they were with that gun-"

"What gun?"

"-they weren't afraid in the slightest." Glaring at Scott for interrupting him, Virgil just about hid a wince. He wasn't sure if their father had wanted the others to know he had casually turned a gun on the pair or not, but determinedly pushed on with his train of thought.

"They both stepped straight in front of it. Merlin in particular just looked resigned. He was either prepared to get shot – which might be possible but a bit weird –or he knew it wouldn't hurt him. And Arthur had a Scott look about him."

"_Excuse me?"_

"He had a look in his eye. The same look that you get when we're on a rescue, Gordon does something stupid and you prepare yourself to go in after him because you know that you can't just leave him in there."

"I do not get a look!"

"I don't do anything stupid!"

"Missing the point!" Virgil had no idea when he had stood up, but he found that he was too agitated to sit down again now. "Arthur was willing to protect Merlin, whatever it took. If they have that level of dedication to each other, what do you think will happen when they realise that we genuinely don't have the sword and think they are completely mad?"

Virgil ignored the way his father was watching him intently. The look almost seemed to be measuring how much Virgil believed what he was saying. By ignoring the look, Virgil didn't have to think about what it meant. If he didn't have to think about it, then he didn't need to dwell on the fact that somewhere in the back of his mind, he seemed to be accepting what was happening.

"We have to get them off the island."

"How? They already know too much about us. Can we take the chance that they won't talk?"

"But even if we give them what they want – which we physically can't because we don't have it – who is to stop them from talking then?"

Virgil groaned, listening to Scott and Gordon trying to work out what to do. They had never had a problem like this, and it was unnerving that none of them had the slightest clue as to how they were supposed to react.

"Has Brains got anything that could help them to forget?"

Scott shook his head at their father's question, his eyes troubled.

"I have no idea how we get them away from here." His soft admittance was louder than anything that he had said before, and Virgil knew by Gordon's face that his little brother was feeling the same as him. Scott always knew what to do; for him to admit that he had no idea unsettled the younger ones.

"I guess we could just hold them here until we know more about them and then use one of the agents to keep an eye on them so they don't talk?"

"Too much of a risk. Besides, if they can find out this much about us, who is to say that someone else can't."

"Do you think they are right? That we could be in some sort of danger?"

"From a magical sword that we don't have? Sure you are feeling okay?"

Virgil shrugged at Scott, not being sure what he was thinking. He didn't want to believe it, but he also didn't think they should ignore any potential threat.

"I just don't think they are going to hurt us. They could have got onto the flight deck if they had that much control of the security, they could have done anything to me. Yet they didn't, they stayed hidden. And even not realising that I was listening in, they carried on having the same conversation. They believe this."

"That's what makes them so dangerous."

Virgil glanced at his father, seeing how stern the man was looking. Not knowing what else to say, Virgil stayed quiet, offering a half shrug. He had a feeling the whole family believed their intruders wouldn't hurt them, but that made the situation harder. Before the silence could stretch on for too long, John's portrait suddenly flashed. The picture morphed into the real thing and Virgil blinked to see that his brother looked faintly amused.

"Dad, they're out."

"How? I bolted it from the outside; you can't shift those doors…"

"They, apparently, can."

Virgil found himself sharing confused looks with Scott. Whatever was going on had suddenly got a lot more serious considering their prisoners now had free access to the island. If a steel crate bolted from the outside couldn't hold them, then what on earth could?

"You better be right about them not wanting to hurt us," Scott muttered, beginning to head back towards the silos as he spoke. Virgil didn't reply, knowing that he couldn't promise such a thing. He got the feeling that their intruders meant them no harm, but now that they had proved ordinary measures wouldn't stop them, he knew he couldn't say without a doubt that his family were safe.

Scott knew what he was thinking even when Virgil refused to answer and he just nodded curtly.

"Let's go and find them."

His announcement wasn't a suggestion and even Gordon dropped in behind them without a word. They had two men who thought the Tracys owned something they did not and believed they had magic at their disposal. As absurd as the situation might be, Virgil also knew how dangerous that could make it.

He followed Scott without a word, not knowing what they were about to walk into.


	6. Chapter 6

"Arthur, stop! You can't go… no, come back!"

Resisting the urge to bang his head on the closest wall he could find – or any flat surface for that matter – Merlin ran after the ex-King, desperately trying to keep up. How could he have been dead for so long and still be able to move that swiftly? All Merlin had done was turn around to check that no one was watching them and Arthur had been gone by the time he looked back again. It was worse than having a child.

Huffing a laugh at the fact that he was calling the Once and Future King a child, Merlin upped his pace. Unfortunately, he didn't see that Arthur had actually listened to him and stopped. Not seeing it coming, Merlin smacked straight into Arthur's back, cursing the fact that he had maintained his solid build after all of this time as well. He had no chance at stopping his fall, but glared as he accepted Arthur's helping hand back up again. Making to say something, he turned and found his jaw had dropped when he saw what it was that had drawn the man's attention.

A giant, red rocket was resting peacefully just in front of them. Merlin let a whistle slide through his teeth, gazing up at the machine and marvelling at the craftsmanship that must have gone into building it.

"What is it?"

One glance at Arthur showed that he wasn't appreciating it in quite the same way. In fact, his hand had done its usual movement of going to his belt, a sign that he would have been going for his sword. Merlin reached over and snagged the back of his shirt, slowly pulling him back away from the rocket. Flying was bad enough; he didn't know how he was going to explain that people could go into space now. Judging from what he knew about International Rescue, he had a feeling they had a station out there; it was the only thing that made any sense as to how they picked up their calls. But Merlin was still trying to take it one step at a time with Arthur, and now was not the time to go into it.

"Come on."

"_Mer_lin, what is it?"

"It doesn't matter, Arthur, now come on. We have to make a move before they realise we got ourselves free."

"_You_ got us free."

The surly note in Arthur's voice made Merlin roll his eyes, knowing that he had been completely right to compare Arthur to a petulant child, but he simply tugged harder on the back of his shirt.

"Does it really matter? Let's just find the sword and go home."

"How?"

"What?"

"How are we supposed to go home when we are on some island somewhere with people that most likely want us dead? You did think about that when we ran on board, didn't you?"

"Me think about it?" Merlin let go of Arthur, moving in front of him and letting his hands rest on his hips. "Why did I have to think about it? Why not you?"

"I was busy thinking of ways to get us on board, I can't do both…" Arthur trailed off and Merlin found that he was shifting under the gaze. He knew that look. It used to be the look that was followed with the threat of the stocks, despite the way it was just a threat rather than anything more in their later years together. Arthur seemed to realise he wouldn't have a servant to run around after him if he kept locking them in the stocks.

"You didn't even think about it, did you?"

"I was busy making sure we weren't detected."

"Merlin!"

As Arthur threw up his hands in exasperation, Merlin frowned. He was sure that he had heard something. Arthur had clearly heard the same thing and in one movement he had moved in front of Merlin, grabbed his arm and forced him back into the room – if it could be called such a thing as the walls were all metal – in order to get out of sight.

"Stay down!" Arthur breathed, his hand on Merlin's shoulder shoving him down towards the floor even as he spoke. Merlin tried to resist, wanting to remind Arthur that he didn't need protecting now that his magic was out in the open. But the King had always been the stronger of the two and Merlin felt his foot slip from underneath him, sending him crashing down to the floor with a yelp. He didn't need to look at Arthur to know the glare he would be getting for potentially giving away their position.

"Get real, Arthur, they'll already know where we are. If they know we have escaped, then they probably watched precisely where we went."

"Can we use this contraption here to get away?"

For a moment, Merlin had no idea what Arthur was referring to. But then he realised where Arthur was looking, not to mention how _serious_ he was looking and knew that he was being completely truthful.

"You want us to escape in a rocket?"

"Is it possible?"

"No, Arthur. It's…no, it's really not. Neither of us knows how to fly it." Deciding that was the easiest excuse, Merlin held his breath, hoping Arthur bought his reasoning.

"Another flying contraption." The mutter did nothing to rid Arthur of the contemplative expression on his face. "Your magic can work it though, surely?"

"No, Arthur. Just no. Besides, we need to find out whether the sword is here or not before we start thinking about how we are going to get away." Thankful that the reminder of Excalibur seemed to push the idea of rockets from Arthur's head, Merlin hauled himself off the floor again and moved towards the metal door. He could hear the sounds of people moving around and knew they were searching for them.

Realising that they potentially had only a few more moments of remaining undetected, Arthur moved towards the door again. This time, Merlin was ready for him and was in his shadow as they slipped from the area. They had to somehow find a way upstairs, Merlin was sure about that. If nothing else, it might provide them with another way off this island. They had to live somewhere, meaning there had to be some normality somewhere on this island rather than it all just being International Rescue.

The pair ran swiftly, but their pursuers had the advantage. They had barely even made it a few steps before a shout was let out, indicating that they had been seen. Arthur grabbed hold of Merlin's arm, pulling him along as they ran in whatever direction they happened to be travelling in at the time. Merlin knew that should someone ask, Arthur would claim to have a daring plan. But the truth of the matter was that he was just as lost and confused as Merlin, perhaps even more so. For his part, however, Merlin found that he was once again just blindly following Arthur, some part of him hoping that the knight in the king would find a way of getting them out of this like he had always done in the past.

For the second time since they had escaped the locked crate, Merlin wanted to hit his head against something. Arthur had never been the one to get them out of any situation, Merlin had. Arthur might be able to run around these silos for hours, but it would never get them any further than that. Continuing to follow Arthur, Merlin glanced behind him to see if he could work out where any of the voices were coming from. They seemed to have fallen silent, and the warlock was forcibly reminded of when the knights used to use hand gestures to indicate what they were going to do. Merlin had a horrible feeling that was what the others were doing now, making sure the pair didn't know where they were going to come from.

Skidding to a stop, Merlin let the gold flood his irises, searching out the magic in order to find a clear route out. To his growing horror, he couldn't sense one; they seemed to be surrounded.

"Arthur!"

He barely had time to get the name out of his mouth before the occupants of the island closed in around them, materialising from all sides. Arthur swore, and Merlin let the magic take over. He didn't think they would actually do anything to harm them, but he was also not going to risk Arthur, not when it had taken him so long to get his king back. As one stepped forward – Merlin was focusing too hard to work out which one it was – the warlock's hand shot up into the air, gold burning in his eyes.

"Alan!"

The man in question was flung back against the wall, his gun clattering out of his hand. He lay still, but Merlin knew that he was fine. If he had wanted to cause any damage, he would have thrown a lot harder than that. The man was just stunned, giving them one less threat to deal with.

Unfortunately, Merlin had underestimated how close this unit seemed to be to one another. No sooner had he lowered his hand than he heard Arthur growl a warning. He turned to face him, wondering what was wrong. At the same time, Arthur seemed to be taking a step towards him and Merlin knew he had once again forgotten to watch his back. It didn't matter how many times Arthur tried to tell him to stay aware of everything, Merlin was normally too busy focusing on keeping others safe to think about what was happening with him. This time was no different, and even as he opened his mouth to find out what was wrong, he felt his arm being grabbed.

As he felt it being wrenched behind his back, Merlin let his mind drift momentarily back to a time, many lifetimes ago, when he had come across a prince in a courtyard who didn't like being challenged. It was the same hold he found himself in now as when Arthur had first grabbed him. Whoever was behind him had a firm grip and Merlin knew that he wouldn't be able to pull away from a hold like that. He could use magic to break free from it, but his vision was restricted and he couldn't see how the others had moved around them. He could break free, but he didn't know what the cost to Arthur might be and so he would not risk it. Arthur had started forward, but then froze as Merlin felt the gun being placed under his chin, forcing his head up. From this strange angle, he could see that it was the man who had earlier been acting, as Arthur put it, like a king, clearly the one in charge. Yet his face was completely calm and he didn't even seem to be feeling Merlin's struggles as he fought to get loose.

"Let him go. He isn't worth anything to you."

Merlin sighed at hearing Arthur's words, knowing that he was still trying to protect him in the same manner as back in the days when Arthur had been the only prize worth having. He hadn't yet seemed to have got it into his head that that didn't mean anything now, and he was more likely to get himself killed than Merlin helped.

"What did you do to my brother?" the man snarled, and Merlin suddenly realised that it all made sense. He wouldn't really hurt him, he was just trying to protect what Merlin assumed was the rest of his family. It certainly made sense. They had figured out through their earlier meeting with the father that there was at least some relationship between a few of them, but now it seemed as if they had underestimated that. There weren't just a few links between them; they were all related.

"Scott, calm down."

Out of the corner of his eye, Merlin could see Gordon stepping forward. Glad to finally begin to put names to the faces surrounding him, Merlin struggled a little more.

"You saw what he did to Al. I'm not letting him hurt any of the others."

"He won't." Arthur had his eyes locked on Scott, still continuing to stalk forward despite the fact there was a gun trained on Merlin. The warlock was sure the other men were armed and were no doubt covering Arthur, yet his face was calm and in control. This time, Merlin knew it was no act; Arthur seemed to know what he was doing.

"You don't know that. Stay back."

"I do. He'll listen to me. Everything is fine, your brother is fine, just let Merlin go."

"How can you be so sure he won't lash out again like that?"

"Merlin, you are not to use your magic."

Merlin knew that tone of voice. He had known it since he had first stumbled across the prat in the marketplace all those lifetimes ago. It was Arthur's way of giving his orders, and Merlin knew that when he sounded like that, he expected to be obeyed. For once, the warlock had no intention of arguing, he knew that it might just be the only thing that could get them out of this.

"Yes, Sire." The answer slipped from his tongue before he could even think about it, but he felt the grip on his arm tighten.

"What are you, his boss?"

"Something like that," Merlin muttered, pulling away again. He didn't think now was the best time to try and explain precisely what they were to each other. Not only was it long and complicated and made them sound mad, but Arthur started to act more and more like a king when they spoke about it and that wasn't going to help anyone right now. But to his surprise, the grip loosened as he pulled away, and before Merlin could truly think about the fact he was being let go, Arthur had grabbed his arm and pulled him closer.

"Idiot."

"I was just trying to…"

"Don't make excuses, Merlin, you were reckless and got yourself caught. What have I said about watching your back?"

Merlin's eyes widened as he glanced over Arthur's shoulder. "Watch your own first."

Arthur stiffened and Merlin knew that Virgil had pressed his own gun into Arthur's spine. He glanced back at Scott, who grinned easily.

"We outnumber you, you can't win. Even with your little tricks."

"They're far from tricks," Merlin said softly, his voice darkening a little. He wasn't sure if he imagined the slightly alarmed look on the man's face or not, but by the time he blinked, Scott was looking neutral again.

"You two are coming upstairs. If we can't contain you down here, the least we can do is keep an eye on you." Scott took Merlin's arm again, but his hold was looser and less threatening this time. Virgil gave Arthur a prod to start him moving and the two captives walked next to each other with their guards on either side of them. As Scott motioned them in a certain direction, Merlin caught Arthur's eye and grinned. The blond gave him a terse smile back.

Upstairs was where they had been planning to get to all along.

-x-

"Merlin?"

"Yes, Arthur, I know. Now shut up."

"Know what?" Virgil was sitting in front of their "guests", a quizzical expression on his face. He still wasn't completely sure what had just happened in the silos and wasn't even sure if he wanted to know, either. They had seen the intruders near Three, then lost them again whilst Scott had been trying to calm Alan down over their location. What had happened to Alan when he had been thrown, Virgil had no idea. He would have thought he was going mad if it wasn't for the fact they had seen someone else do that before.

Somehow, he didn't get the feeling these two had anything to do with the Hood, though, despite the fact that it was obvious Merlin had some sort of power. There was just something too innocent about them. They certainly knew how to handle themselves, Virgil had sensed the tension running through Arthur when he pressed his gun into his back. He knew in that one movement that had he let his guard down at all, Arthur would have seized the advantage. He was trained, he knew what to do. But despite that, there had been nothing threatening about them. Virgil wasn't even sure Merlin knew how to look frightening, despite the clear power he had at his fingertips.

"Nothing." Said man was currently squirming uncomfortably, trying to gaze around the lounge without making it apparent he was doing so, but failing.

Jeff Tracy had decided that the lounge was the best place for Merlin and Arthur, especially as the family had left it in command mode. It wasn't as if they had anything to hide in regards to International Rescue considering the pair had just been running around the silos, and this way meant they were protecting some of the more personal aspects of their lives. Scott hadn't been trusted to keep an eye on them – something that Merlin seemed to be relieved about considering the glare Arthur was shooting the commander – and Gordon had dragged Alan off to have his head checked by Brains. Considering the jokes about that coming from the prankster as he had led his brother away, Virgil knew they didn't need to be too worried.

So that had left him. In a way, Virgil was glad. It was his 'bird they had smuggled themselves onto, he was the one they had tricked to get onto the island. Not to mention his past interaction with the mysterious Gwaine. While his father was trying to calm Scott down and at the same time talk to John about what was happening, Virgil found himself trying to work out the two men in front of him.

"Well, it was clearly something. You're not really going anywhere anytime soon, and you know all of my secrets. Why not tell me?" Virgil wasn't sure if they were going to answer him or not as they exchanged glances. Arthur folded his arms and almost seemed to pout, wriggling his way deeper into the sofa in a way that was so much like Alan that Virgil had to smile. Merlin, however, sighed.

"Fine. We were looking at the swords you have in the display cabinet over there." Merlin motioned his head to where he meant, but Virgil didn't need to look. The oldest of those swords had been his grandfather's, he remembered it being in the house when they were still back in Kansas. He had been fascinated by those weapons for years, wondering what it would be like to know how to use one properly.

"You still think we have Excalibur?"

"They know its name?"

"Everyone knows it name, Arthur. You told me yourself that you had found it out through researching us, so what's to stop everyone else from doing the same?"

Deciding that he really couldn't figure these people out, Virgil watched in amusement as Arthur seemed to blush and bury himself deeper into the sofa. It was small details like this that nagged away at him. They weren't addressing him, he might not have been listening for all they knew. But they had kept up the pretence anyway.

"Don't you think we would know if we had a sword straight out of a legend?" Virgil inquired mildly, shifting his position so that he would be able to react if Arthur didn't like what he was saying. Merlin shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"You wouldn't necessarily know that you had it. Not everyone can feel the magic of the sword, and if you've never touched it… You know there have been replicas all over the world with people trying to claim they had it? I'd know if it was genuinely being used. It's not, but that doesn't mean the magic within it isn't still active. Nothing can stop a…"

"Too much information, Merlin. Shut up."

Arthur's swift interruption stopped Merlin in his tracks, reminding Virgil of how he had done the same thing back in the silos. Their relationship clearly was one of power, yet who held it wasn't obvious. Merlin had the power, Arthur had the authority. It was like they balanced each other out, two sides of a coin, ying and yang… Virgil tried to hold back his laughter at his thought process, knowing it was what people said about him and Scott.

"What do you want with it if we do have it?" Keeping the conversation on the topic of the sword – it was the only thing that vaguely made any sense at all – Virgil watched them closely, wondering if he could get more from their body language than he could from what was actually coming from their mouths.

Merlin shrugged again. "Nothing. I just need to make sure that it is safe. If it falls into the wrong hands, it could be a terrible weapon. You can keep the sword," Merlin ignored Arthur's huff of annoyance, "but I need to make sure the magic is stopped."

"Don't you think we would have known if magic was happening on our own island?" Virgil tried to keep his voice casual, he didn't want to sound accusing when there were two of them and only one of him. Merlin offered him a smile.

"Arthur never knew the sword was magical."

"_What! _You mean it had magic all the time, it wasn't just something you did when I died? You mean to tell me…"

"That you were using a magical sword, yes. C'mon, you must have known that through our conversations."

The look on Arthur's face indicated that he did know, he just hadn't thought about it before.

"Your need to protect comes from somewhere, and I think at least one of you has been influenced by the power in the sword."

Virgil felt his face fall when he thought about the reasons behind why they did what they did. "Maybe something did happen. But there was nothing magical about it," he murmured.

Merlin looked confused, but Arthur's face crumpled in sympathy.

"A mother?" he asked gently, and Merlin didn't look as if he knew how to react. He shot Arthur a worried glance, but the blond had his attention fixed on Virgil. Virgil nodded softly, seeing there was true understanding in Arthur's eyes. He didn't need to ask to know that he, too, had lost his mother. Clearing his throat, Virgil shifted, determined to get the conversation back on familiar ground.

"Are you telling me that you can truly use magic? It wasn't some sort of trick, a set-up, that threw my little brother back into the wall?"

"Yeah, sorry about that, I get edgy when Arthur seems to be in danger. But yes, it is truly magic that I'm using. I know it is a lot to take in: Arthur would barely talk to me when he found out and he was kind of dying at the same time."

Virgil simply stared. It seemed as if Merlin would have been quite content to carry on talking if it wasn't for the sharp nudge to the ribs from Arthur. His mouth snapped shut, but his eyes suddenly flared gold again. Virgil flinched, not knowing what to expect. But all that happened was that a vase rose into the air, spiralling majestically.

"You do know that is one of my grandmother's favourites and if your tricks cause it to break…"

"He won't break it," Arthur said softly, the same look of wonder on his face as Virgil knew was reflected on his own. Merlin seemed to relax at the words; a soft smile spreading over his face and making him look younger and even more innocent than he had before. Virgil found that he had stopped watching the vase, and was instead captivated by his eyes. There seemed to be so much power held in that one glance that he knew they weren't lying.

This was truly magic.

As if knowing the artist had come to a conclusion, Merlin gently rested the vase back down and looked at him expectantly. But for the first time since he had found them on board Two, Virgil had no questions. He didn't want to find ways of tripping them up and getting them to admit what was really going on. Instead, he just threw down his gun and stood up, moving across to the cabinet. He had to stand on tiptoes to reach the top, but once he had a grip on the small key, it was easy enough to insert it into the lock and release the door. It wasn't as if they had unexpected visitors that they had to hide everything away for. At least, not normally. It was only locked because it had become a habit of their father's; apparently stemming back from when Scott had learnt to walk. Somehow, despite the fact they were all adults, their father still didn't trust them. Considering Gordon was on the island, Virgil couldn't blame him.

He heard Merlin's breath catch, but by the time Virgil turned around, both Arthur and Merlin had stood up and moved forward. There was just a flicker of magic in Merlin's eyes this time, and Virgil had a feeling he knew what was happening. Somehow, he was reaching out in order to check the swords.

"Well? Is it there?" Virgil honestly wasn't sure what he wanted the answer to be. Did he want the family to be in possession of something from a legend, something that was more than just the story the rest of the world believed it to be? Or did he want this to all be one big misunderstanding, allowing them to kick these two men off the island and go back to their normal hectic lives as if none of this had ever happened.

Merlin moved ever closer, but Virgil could see the answer in his face long before the warlock spoke. Merlin looked bitterly disappointed, his shoulders slumping and a whole aura of defeat seeming to settle over him.

"It's not there."

"What? Are you sure?" The same disappointment was in Arthur's voice as he moved towards the cabinet. Knowing what they had said about it being Arthur's sword, Virgil stepped to one side to allow him a better look.

He should have known better. He had been telling himself that he believed that there was something different about them. Yet that didn't give him the sense to realise that letting someone who had once been a king near a load of swords would be a bad idea.

If he was honest, Virgil still didn't see it coming even when Arthur's hand reached out and ghosted over the hilt of one of them.

"Arthur, no!"

Merlin seemed to know what was about to happen before Virgil did. The look of alarm on the warlock's face made Virgil begin to turn, only to find himself being held in the same position Scott had held Merlin - with his arm bent up behind his back. But rather than there being a gun pressing under his chin, there was instead the sharp edge of a sword.

"Arthur, stop it!"

"Just because you didn't think of a way to get us off this island doesn't mean I haven't been planning, Merlin. Now come on."

"Where? Arthur, what are you doing?"

Despite the frantic note in Merlin's voice betraying the fact that he knew this wasn't going to work, Arthur didn't let go. Virgil grimaced as he found himself being forced to walk a step forward, hoping they would pass close enough to the table in order for him to reach his gun.

"Take us back to where you found us," Arthur ordered, and Virgil found himself shivering at the power in that voice. There was strong authority, the need to be obeyed by one and all. With the blade against his neck, Virgil wasn't sure even Scott could sound that commanding if he tried.

"You'll never get away with this. You can't keep hold of me, expect me to fly and not have the rest of my family kick your ass from here to the moon in the process." Despite his words, Virgil managed to force his voice to stay calm. They had been trained in hostage scenarios, he knew that all he had to do was keep Arthur talking, stop him from doing anything rash while letting his hand move. He had no idea if Merlin could see him or not, but the warlock didn't react as Virgil hit the emergency button on his watch.

Arthur didn't answer, and the artist had the distinct feeling he, too, was aware that this plan was not going to work.

"Merlin, get behind me!"

Despite everything, the man seemed to still have his wits about him. Merlin moved just as the door behind him opened, and although Scott once again lunged for him, he missed. Merlin took refuge behind Arthur, and Virgil knew that his brother couldn't get a clear shot with the gun resting in his hand thanks to Virgil being used as a shield.

"Let him go!"

"Let us off the island."

"Fine, but let him go first."

"I'll let him go when we are on our way. I'm not a fool, I don't trust you."

"I don't trust you either! We don't want you here and you have my brother, why would I lie?"

Virgil felt Arthur almost shrug, realising the sense in Scott's words. The pressure on Virgil's neck gradually began to loosen and he knew it would only be a few more seconds before he would be able to slide free. He had no idea whether Scott was telling the truth or not, but his words seemed to be doing the trick.

"Wait…" Merlin's voice was hesitant and unsure, and Virgil could feel the way that Arthur twisted his upper body in order to look over his shoulder at the man. Glancing at Scott, it was the look of uncertainty on his big brother's face that made Virgil realise that Merlin must have looked as bad as he sounded.

"I can feel something…" Merlin's voice was a soft murmur and he began to slowly move out from behind Arthur. He didn't seem to realise he was getting closer to Scott.

"I think it _is_ here. It's calling to you, Arthur. Excalibur is on the island somewhere."


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you so much to everyone following this and letting me know what you think! **

"Where is it, Merlin?"

"I don't know, I can just sense it… Getting to it might be a problem though."

"You're not going anywhere, you're staying put."

"And you think you can stop me?"

"I know I can, I've taken guys like you before."

"Scott…"

"And just what would you know about me?"

"Apparently a lot as there are legends and myths surrounding your existence."

"At least more is known about me than you, skulking away and hiding, even though the world loves you."

"Shut up!" As Scott opened his mouth to retaliate again, Virgil found that he had had enough. This day had been strange enough as it was, and the fact that Merlin seemed to have just got more serious about this whole sword thing wasn't helping. Scott and Arthur bickering as if they both knew best was not helping anyone, either. Their argument had led Arthur to be distracted and Virgil pulled himself free, coming to stand next to Scott but finding his glare was being levelled at everyone in the room, his big brother included. Virgil wasn't normally the type of man to accept things on face value, but there was something about this whole situation that was getting to him. How could he deny that magic existed when he saw what Merlin could do, and what he _had_ done to get onto the island in the first place? Not to mention the pair of them were clearly a force to be reckoned with by the fact that Arthur had had him at sword point not ten minutes ago.

Merlin was sitting on the edge of the couch, his head in his hands and his eyes closed. Virgil didn't want to disturb him for fear of what he might be doing. But it came as a surprise when the other two fell silent. Not that it lasted long, however. Scott seemed to sense how frustrated Virgil was with all of this and instantly slipped back into his big brother role.

"Virg, it's okay, we can…"

"We can what, Scott? Raid the whole island and hope to find this damn sword? Believe there is magic in it that could be threatening us? Chuck them off the island, with or without a craft?"

"I can probably find it. If it is truly calling to me, surely it would react to my presence?"

"No way." There was finality in Merlin's voice as he also glared, only turning it on Arthur.

"You don't even know what I'm thinking." Arthur protested, trying to look innocent.

"I don't need to, you have that look on your face. You are not doing it!" Merlin responded hotly, making it clear he wasn't about to back down.

"What does he want to do?" Virgil had intended to ignore them while he thought of a way to get them to peacefully leave the island, but there was a note in Merlin's voice that made him look up.

"He's going to try and do something dramatic, noble and incredibly idiotic that will no doubt involve him being killed in some vain attempt to get the magic of the sword to react so I can locate it."

"Oh… In that case, no way." Sparing Arthur a glance, Virgil tried to tell him in just those few words that no one was sacrificing themselves on his watch. Unable to stop himself, he let the glare shift momentarily over to Scott, wondering if he could convince his big brother of the same thing. To his discomfort, neither of the men he subjected to his gaze looked the slightest bit concerned. Scott merely blinked.

"Before we get too carried away with who is going to be sacrificing themselves, I have a question."

"What?"

"How do we know it is even here? Because _he_," he nodded over towards Merlin, "got a feeling? Come on, Virg, if we have this sword, we've had it since we came to the island. Why would it suddenly be giving off magical signals now? Not that I'm saying it is, but it doesn't make any sense."

Virgil found that he was simply staring at his brother. Despite the fact Scott's tone was bordering on rude, he did have a point.

"You want to believe him, trust me," Arthur muttered, looking slightly sheepish. "He tends to be right about this sort of thing."

The grin that split over Merlin's face at Arthur's words completely threw Virgil off-guard. He honestly looked as if the weight of the world had just been taken off his shoulders, almost as if he had waited a long time to hear his friend say that. Virgil found himself glancing towards Scott, not quite being sure how to react.

"Prove it."

"Excuse me?"

"You expect us to believe that you have magic. Why should we believe a word that you are saying? You're the ones who have invaded our home."

"Because it is the truth!" Merlin had stood up now, taking a step towards them as if that was somehow going to make them believe him. Scott just folded his arms and stared impassively back. Merlin might have known what the look on Arthur's face had meant, but Virgil knew Scott. He was not backing down from this, no matter how long he had to stand there.

"Scott, I saw him do magic…" Virgil muttered, knowing he needed to do something in order to calm Scott down. The older man simply shot him a look and Virgil found himself flushing. He knew that he had been believing more than was potentially wise since this whole escapade had started, but for Scott to flat out disregard what Virgil said he had seen…. Deciding it was pointless to feel hurt, Virgil instead folded his arms. Scott always needed to see something to believe it, and maybe this would stop them spending all the time bickering.

"Like I said, prove it." There was a cool challenge in Scott's voice, obvious to everyone in the room. Merlin glanced at Arthur. To Virgil's surprise, the blond nodded, almost looking resigned.

"Do it."

Merlin took a deep breath and Virgil found that he was almost gaping as gold flooded his eyes. It was exactly what the Hood seemed to be able to do, yet there was also something different. There was something warm about Merlin's gaze, something that made Virgil feel safe in a way that he couldn't explain. Judging by the sharp intake of breath he heard from Scott, he knew that his brother was feeling the same. But there was more to it than that. There was sheer power in that gaze and after locking eyes with Merlin, Virgil found that he couldn't look away. He felt so exposed, so vulnerable, and yet at the same time, completely and utterly safe. He knew nothing could harm him.

Very slowly, Merlin moved his gaze away from Virgil's, fixing his attention on something other than the artist. He pointedly nodded and Virgil slowly turned around. Once again, the vase was floating in the air. Virgil knew not to be surprised, he had seen it all before. Instead, he let his gaze move over to Scott and was almost shocked to see how pale his brother had gone.

"Put it down!" Virgil ordered, swiftly moving forward and sliding one hand around Scott's back as the man's knees seemed to give way. He was never going to get him to the couch in time, but he could at least stop Scott from simply hitting the floor. But just as he made to brace himself against his brother's weight, the sofa suddenly slid across the floor towards them, coming to a stop just as Scott sat down heavily on it. Virgil glanced over his shoulder at Merlin, who merely shrugged.

"The least I could do. He's a practical kind of man, isn't he?"

Virgil simply nodded as he forced Scott to bend over and take deep breaths.

"Virg…"

"I know, Scott. Pretty unbelievable, right?"

"But he…"

Realising that his brother didn't seem to be having much control over what was coming out of his mouth, Virgil simply rubbed his brother's back and waited for Scott to regain his senses.

"People say some of the feats you pull off are like magic, why is he so surprised?"

"Scott doesn't like things he can't explain," Virgil murmured softly, sparing said brother a glance to see if he was coming out of his daze yet or not. "We've met someone before who has abilities like yours, who can do things that shouldn't be possible. But… this is going to sound crazy, but I don't think that's magic. I can't explain it, but it's like…"

"You don't feel it?" Merlin said quietly and Virgil found himself nodding. It might sound absurd, but he had truly felt something at the burning look in Merlin's eyes.

"Feel it?" Arthur interrupted, glancing at Merlin in what looked like concern. "What does he mean, feel it? I've never felt anything…"

"I still don't know how you didn't. I used magic on you loads and…"

"What?"

"Um… nothing…"

"Merlin…"

Even Virgil could recognise the warning note in Arthur's voice. Merlin sighed, rolled his eyes and allowed gold to flood his irises once again before turning the look on Arthur. The man's knees weakened and Virgil put his hand on Arthur's shoulder, forcing him down onto the sofa as well. Merlin blinked and his eyes faded back to normal. Arthur shook his head, but his own eyes were wide and astonished.

"See? How did you not notice that before?"Merlin demanded, incredulity in his voice.

"You never looked me in the eye when using magic before."

Merlin looked crestfallen at Arthur's answer, but Virgil knew they couldn't continue like this.

"Look," Virgil sighed, running his hand across his eyes and helping Scott sit back up again. Not much colour had returned to the pilot's face, but Virgil was no longer worried about him hyperventilating. "It doesn't really matter what you two got up to in the past, whether it be last year or however long ago this supposedly happened. What matters now is that you truly think that we are in danger from a magical sword."

"And you don't seem to know where it is," Merlin muttered, looking genuinely upset. Virgil felt a twinge of sympathy for the man before he caught himself and forced his mind back to reality. Somehow, he couldn't help but think he was walking a very thin line between what could potentially be happening and what was just absurd.

"But you said you know it is on the island? Surely there are only so many places it can be?"

"Not if the sword doesn't want to be found."

Virgil decided he was just going to ignore that comment and thought back on everything Merlin had said about it so far. He seemed to believe that the sword was the reason why they did what they did. While he knew that was far from the truth, it gave Virgil a starting point.

"It has to be in the house somewhere. If you think it is influencing us, it must have come with us when we moved here; the ideas came before the island." Virgil tried to tell himself that he was just playing along with them to make sure no one got hurt. But the look Scott gave him showed his tone of voice hadn't come out quite how he had intended. He sounded as if he believed… and Virgil was no longer certain what he believed.

"So…where?"

"No idea." Virgil grimaced at the way Merlin's face fell, but Scott cut in before he could say anything else.

"I have an idea where it might be." Scott's voice was hoarse, a far cry from his usually confident tone. Virgil couldn't believe how much this was getting to his brother. But before he had the chance to say anything, both Merlin and Arthur leapt on his words.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you have it?"

Scott held up his hand, silencing them with just that one action and causing his brother to smirk. Just because he was feeling out his depth didn't mean that Scott was going to completely hand over control. It just came more of a surprise when both Merlin and Arthur did fall silent.

"I honestly don't know. Right now, the only reason I even care is because it means that this will all be over and you can get off our island."

Somehow, that was more of a comfort to Virgil than if Scott had professed to suddenly believing everything.

"But there is another sword on this island."

"There is? Where?" Rather than it being Merlin or Arthur pressing for answers, it was Virgil who stared at Scott in astonishment. He was sure that the display cabinet was the only place they ever kept anything like that. The technology hidden throughout their home could cause considerable damage, so their father didn't seem to want to take any additional risks by having swords within easy access. Virgil knew it was just because he didn't trust Gordon and Alan after a hard rescue and a few drinksbut the result was still the same. The swords were kept locked in the cabinet.

"Dad's office," Scott murmured softly, and Virgil's eyes widened.

"That's just a carving, a sculpture."

"What if it's not?" Scott was chewing on his lip in an uncharacteristic display of uncertainty as Virgil stared at him. "Think of the actual legend. Or rather, what those two would say happened."

"That Arthur pulled it from a rock."

"Exactly. What if it is not just a carving?"

"Wait a moment!" Arthur seemed to have finally found his voice. He had moved forward, coming to stand between the two brothers with his hands on his hips. Virgil had to laugh. Despite everything that was happening, Arthur was now the one looking incredulous.

"Why would it be in a rock?"

"Don't look at me, I didn't put it there this time." Merlin threw his hands up in innocence, but Arthur glared at him.

"You mean you put it there the first time?"

"Um…" Merlin blushed and Virgil knew this was touching on a much bigger issue. He didn't want to think about the legends saying about how Arthur was accepted as King because he pulled a sword from a stone, the gods apparently having placed it there. Still, it must be a bit of a nuisance to have all of your confidence restored; only to find out your own manservant was the one behind it. Virgil had picked up enough from their behaviour to know the old Merlin with a long curly white beard had not been the one who had been by Arthur's side back in Camelot. Instead, it had been this youth all along.

"Look, you two… sort your differences out somewhere else. But do you want to have a look or not? It's the only possibility left, and if that is not it, will you get off our island? You've caused enough of a security breach as it is and personally I would rather like this day to be over."

Getting the feeling that Scott was about to lose his temper, Virgil ran his fingers through his hair.

"Why don't you just come this way with me?" He motioned to the door, determined to get them to the office, out again and preferably gone. Just because he was going along with it (not to mention part of him wanting to believe it), that didn't mean Virgil wouldn't much rather this whole thing was over.

TBTB

The walks to his father's office hadn't always been pleasant ones over the years. They had still been quite young when they had moved to the island, and Virgil knew that he wasn't the only one who had felt that moving away from Kansas was like leaving their mother behind. Fights had been quick and fierce, scathing words being said without a thought… all things that would have sent them from whatever part of the island they were on, down this corridor and into the man's domain. But Virgil found there was a completely different type of nerves settling in his stomach this time.

He knew his father was a practical man in the same way that Scott was. It had taken long enough for his big brother to accept there was something different about their guests, and that had been after seeing it with his own eyes. Virgil knew that Scott didn't truly believe the sword in their father's office was this mystical one they were going on about, but he knew by the set of his brother's shoulders that this was Merlin and Arthur's last chance before Scott forced them off the island. But while he was grateful his brother was at least attempting to be rational, Virgil wasn't sure how his father would react.

It seemed to take no time at all before they reached the office. Arthur looked as if he was about to stride straight in, but Scott threw out an arm, stopping him before knocking sharply. Virgil had to suppress a grin. These days, they never knocked when entering the office unless knowing for sure that their father was tied up with business. This was Scott's way of making sure they were the ones who stayed in control of the situation. Judging by the look on Merlin's face, he was as aware of that fact as Virgil was.

Only when their father told them to enter did Scott finally drop his arm, but he still made sure that he got through the door first. Arthur was on his heels, Merlin not even a step behind him. Rolling his eyes, Virgil followed them in, closing the door behind him and sitting down. His father was behind his desk, but everyone else was standing. It did nothing to relieve the tension in the air.

"Yes?"

Both Scott and Arthur had seemed to battle for authority over the situation the second Thunderbird Two had come into land. But the way Jeff barely raised his eyes from what he was doing yet casually demanded answers made Virgil relax a little. He knew his dad was in control and in the same way it had soothed him as a child, it helped him to breathe a little easier now. Scott didn't answer, but even from standing behind him, Virgil could tell by the positioning of his head that Scott was staring at the mounted carving on the wall.

When he didn't receive an answer, Jeff eventually looked up properly. "What is it?"

"Dad, where did you get that from?"

At the strange note in Scott's voice, Virgil found that he had stood up without realising. He wasn't the only one staring at it; both Arthur and Merlin also had their eyes locked on the artefact.

"I can't remember, I've had it for years. You know I've had it for years, Scott. Why… why are you looking at it like that?"

Virgil moved forward, resting his hand on Scott's shoulder even as he drew level with his brother. The look on Scott's face was almost frightening. He was staring at the carving with the same expression that he had got when he had watched Merlin using magic. Arthur, too, seemed transfixed, but when Virgil turned his attention onto Merlin, he found a yell escaping him.

The warlock's eyes were burning gold, his face pale and his whole body trembling.

"What are you doing?" Virgil snapped, wondering if the magic that Merlin was clearly using was what had Scott so transfixed. Despite the fact he had been on Merlin's side since the beginning, regardless of how he had arrived on the island, he was prepared to do whatever it took if Merlin was indeed doing something to his brother. Jeff stood up as well, glancing between the two of them. It didn't matter whether he wanted to believe in magic or not. Merlin was clearly doing something and Virgil was afraid of it.

"I…."

"Merlin, stop it!"

"I'm not doing anything," the warlock muttered, He managed to take a shaky step backwards and his eyes instantly faded back to blue. He let out a gasp, his hand shaking as he dragged it over his face. Virgil found that he was pushing him down into a chair and encouraging him to take deep breaths despite wanting to remain angry.

"Then what?"

"Can't you feel it? That is no carving, it's the sword! And it's calling to Arthur. I can feel the magic. It's so strong… Far stronger than when I last held it. The magic in the sword seems to have intensified, and now it wants to be back in Arthur's hand."

"Then why is it affecting Scott like that?" Virgil had to force himself not to shout at Merlin but instead moved back towards his brother. Both Scott and Arthur were standing motionless, almost as if they were under some form of spell. Merlin shook his head, a little colour coming back into his cheeks. It was only the frown pinching the top of his nose that made Virgil realise he was thinking hard about what was going on rather than simply sitting there and talking about magic casually. He didn't seem to really know what was happening and Virgil found that scared him. After a moment, Merlin's mouth opened in a soft "o" of surprise and he glanced between Scott and their father.

"Is he your heir?"

"What?"

"Well, I mean… I kind of figured that he was your eldest, so he's your heir, right?"

"We're in modern times now, Merlin." There was a firm note to Jeff's voice, but Virgil had a feeling he was somehow missing the point. Scott was their father's heir technically – he was the one who had to sit in on business meetings, he was their field commander… If anyone was to have that position in the family, it would be Scott.

"Yes, he is."

His father shot him a slightly annoyed look as Virgil pushed his way into the conversation, but he didn't pay any attention. If someone had to admit that Scott was their father's heir – Virgil knew that his dad didn't want to say it in front of him in case Virgil took it the wrong way – in order to get him to snap out of the trance-like state he seemed to be in, then Virgil would say it. Merlin nodded in gratitude and moved forward, circling Scott and Arthur closely.

"He's your leader?"

"Sort of." Virgil couldn't help but shift uncomfortably. They all knew it was Scott they followed on rescues and he knew they all still looked up to him as their big brother. But hearing it being said in such terms made him truly think about how much he looked to Scott to have the answers. Merlin nodded again, finally coming to a stop in front of Scott and waving his hand in front of the field commander's face. Scott didn't so much as blink.

"I thought as much. The sword has him under its power just as it has Arthur. I knew that it could be dangerous, that I had to somehow pull in the magic…"

"Wait a minute. What do you mean, the sword has Scott under its power? It's just a carving! If it has Scott, why doesn't it have Virgil?" There was the utmost confusion in Jeff's voice as he looked from Virgil to Merlin, clearly not sure who was the best person to address.

"The sword is from an old time," Merlin explained patiently, trying to rouse Arthur as he did so. "It was forged for a king. A king who, at the time of its making, was only a prince. It recognised in Arthur the leader he would become, despite the fact that he never got the chance to wield it until he _was_ king. But it knew his potential, knew what he would one day inherit. You've said that Scott is your leader, that he is your heir… Tell me, Mr Tracy, have you ever referred to International Rescue, or even your business as a whole, as your kingdom?"

"I…"

"The media does." Realising that his father wasn't going to answer properly, Virgil stepped in again. He was beginning to piece together what Merlin was telling them, despite the fact that the whole idea should be completely ludicrous. "It's seeing a king in Scott."

He didn't quite intend for his words to come out as such a statement, but Merlin nodded anyway.

"Yes. If you'd had the equivalent wealth in Camelot's time as you do today, you would have been regarded as kings. I was wrong in thinking your need to protect came from the sword, it was there beforehand. But your ideas and morals, your need to change the world after a loss of a mother… It's the same story all over again. The magic recognised in your family the same traits it knew in the knights, and in Arthur. Arthur and Scott entered this room practically simultaneously. I think the sword has reached out to them both."

"Well… tell it which one is its owner and then you go leave, right?" Virgil knew as soon as he had spoken that it was just wishful thinking. Merlin finally moved away from the pair who were still just standing there and walked around the desk. Jeff backed away, but Virgil could see that his father was ready to intervene. The trouble was, this was so far out of their comfort zone that Virgil knew they wouldn't know whether Merlin was helping or not until it was too late.

"I have to break it out of its casing first," Merlin muttered but Virgil felt his father tense.

"Is this some kind of scam? Some trick to make us let our guard down so you can steal it and then sell it on to the highest bidder?

"Why would I want to do that? I have magic, I can get any money that I want."

"Dad, I saw it. He floated Grandma's vase," Virgil murmured, trying to keep his father calm. If Jeff was reacting this much with Merlin only talking about magic, Virgil didn't want to know what would happen when he came to actually using it. Jeff looked as if he wanted to protest some more as Merlin's hand reached up and ghosted over the carving, but the warlock got there first.

"Look, Arthur is in the same situation as Scott. I know you don't believe any of this, but believe me when I say that I would rather die than let anything happen to him. I failed my destiny the first time round by not being able to stop Mordred's blade. It took me long enough to get him back and there is no way that I'm about to lose him again to something I helped create. You either let me do this, or I do it anyway."

Virgil knew that his father was thinking of the way Alan had been thrown against the wall with ease. There could be no denying that Merlin somehow would be able to prevent them from trying to interfere if he wanted to. But it wasn't the threats that had Virgil hoping his father would back down. It was the tone of his voice, his sheer desperation to save his friend. Swallowing hard, Virgil found that he was glancing at Scott. It was a desperation he knew understood. He had no idea if his dad was thinking along the same lines or not, or whether it was the fact that Merlin's eyes had once again begun to glow, but the man gave a shaky nod and took a step back.

It didn't escape Virgil's notice that he moved directly in front of Scott.

"What can we do to help?" Shooting his father a meaningful look and hoping that he would stay quiet, Virgil stepped forward. He no longer had any idea what to believe, but he knew that if he gave Merlin what he wanted, there was more chance of them leaving and for this to all be over. The smile of gratitude Merlin shot him made his conviction waver slightly.

"Help me get this down?"

Virgil nodded, not wanting to ask why Merlin didn't just use magic to accomplish his task. He kicked his father's chair out of the way and both men stretched up. The carving was only held onto the wall by a simple nail, yet Virgil found that he was snatching his hand back the second he touched it. It felt almost as if he had just received an electric shock from it but then he caught sight of Merlin's face.

"You can feel the magic, too. You have more of an aptitude for magic than your brother does. You are the other side of his coin."

"Let's just get this over with." Feeling uncomfortable, Virgil grabbed hold of the carving and forced it upwards, attempting to jolt it free of the nail. Luckily, Merlin also reached up, for Virgil was not sure whether he would have been able to hold it as it suddenly came free of the wall. Between the two of them, they lifted it free and awkwardly turned, laying it across the desk. Virgil took a step back, not liking the feelings that he was getting from the carving and instead moving towards his brother.

"Well? Why aren't they moving yet?"

"I have to free the sword," Merlin mumbled, more to himself than Virgil. His hands ghosted over the top of the carving and Virgil shivered as his eyes turned gold again.

"_Bediede pe arisan ealdu_."

Virgil knew that he had taken a step towards his father as the strange words rolled from Merlin's tongue. Jeff's hand rested on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze of reassurance as the carving seemed to glimmer. Merlin repeated the spell (for that was what Virgil was sure it was), his brow crumpled with the effort. It seemed as if he had to battle the magic of the sword… Virgil shook his head, wondering if he was finally going insane.

At least, Virgil thought he was going insane until the carving began emitting a soft white light. The light grew in intensity until Virgil had no choice but to look away. By the time he looked back, Merlin had stepped back from the desk. Virgil let his eyes drift to the carving, only to gasp.

There was no carving there any longer.

Instead, a gleaming sword rested on his father's desk.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you for the reviews and support once again, I really appreciate it.**

"What the fu-,"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Virgi!."

It was only his father's sharp voice that made Virgil snap his mouth closed again. Instead, he opted for just staring at the sword on the desk, his mind struggling to believe what he had just seen. He glanced at Merlin, who seemed to have relaxed slightly now that he could see the sword rather than just a carving.

"Knew it was here somewhere," he murmured.

Virgil wasn't sure if he was talking to himself, to the other occupants of the room or to the sword itself. He had got to the point where nothing surprised him any more. He glanced once more at the sword and then back to where Scott was still standing motionless.

"So… what happens to them now?" If he was honest, Virgil wasn't completely sure he wanted to know the answer. The sword had been revealed, but both Scott and Arthur were still standing motionless. There was a relaxed expression on Arthur's face, almost as if something had slotted into place in his mind now that the sword had been found. Virgil thought it was just another thing to show how bizarre the day had been, given that he was truly contemplating whether these were people from a legend and this was the real sword. He had given up questioning things when Merlin had made the vase float.

"Just give them a few moments. I'm not completely sure what will happen to your brother, to be honest." Merlin must have seen the look that shot over both Virgil's and his father's faces, for he swiftly pressed on. "He'll be fine. I think. He should just snap out of it when Arthur picks up the sword as Excalibur will recognise Arthur's hold and stop trying to call out to him."

"I still don't get how a sword can call out to anyone," Virgil mumbled. Still, he was just stepping back from the desk, making sure that he wasn't in the way at all, when Scott's arm suddenly twitched. At the same time, Arthur blinked and Merlin let out a sigh of relief. Virgil knew the warlock had no clearer idea about what was going on than they did, and that thought didn't do a lot to comfort the artist.

"Here we go," Merlin muttered, his eyes shining and a smile threatening to tug at his lips as Arthur moved again. Virgil found that he was watching as well, monitoring how the man's hand slowly clenched into a fist. But it wasn't through tension. Virgil could see that it was almost as if Arthur was making to grasp something and as the man blinked again, Virgil realised that he really was reacting to the sword's call. Despite everything, he found that he was almost holding his breath.

He didn't know whether it was magic or just the atmosphere of the room, but Virgil felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, there was almost something reassuring and strengthening about the sensation. One look at Merlin showed that he was experiencing the same thing, but the content look on his face revealed what was possibly happening. Excalibur was supposed to be part of Arthur being king if Virgil remembered the legend right. There was a feeling of contentment in the air and Virgil had a feeling it was because this was supposed to be happening. His father had the same sort of expression on his face and when father and son locked eyes, Virgil wasn't that surprised to see the small smile on his face.

"No!"

Merlin's shout made Virgil jump in surprise and he whirled around to face him again. Arthur was still standing where he was. Scott, however, had moved forward. His eyes were locked on the sword and Virgil could almost see it reflected in his eyes. He didn't need to ask to know that Scott was not completely back to himself. Not knowing what to do, he turned towards Merlin, only to see the warlock lifting his hand, gold beginning to infiltrate his eyes.

"Don't you dare!" Virgil was moving before he truly thought about what he was doing. All he knew was that Merlin didn't want Scott near the sword and was preparing to use magic on him. Virgil didn't think about anything else other than the need to protect his brother and so lunged at Merlin. It only took him seconds to close the gap between them, his arm catching Merlin around the stomach and toppling them both backwards. Merlin let out a surprised yelp as he fell, but the gold vanished from his eyes.

"He mustn't touch it!" the warlock practically screamed at Virgil, who instantly leapt up and moved back towards Scott. His brother had reached the desk by now, his hand ghosting over the hilt of the sword.

"Scott? Wha'cha doing, man? Come away, that's not yours." Virgil knew the second the words began leaving his mouth that Scott wasn't hearing him. Whether he was just ignoring his brother or whether he physically couldn't hear him, Virgil didn't know but found that he was swallowing hard. He spared a glance back towards where Merlin was attempting to get to his feet and knew by the look on his face that Scott taking the sword was not going to be a good thing. Too many things had happened that he couldn't explain for Virgil to risk it and he moved forward. Scott didn't look round; he didn't even so much as blink, but his hand shot out. Taken unaware, Virgil had no chance of steadying his balance as Scott shoved him hard in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards. Unable to regain his footing in time, Virgil could only wince as he crashed into Arthur and once again hit the floor along with someone who shouldn't technically even be alive.

The movement was enough to snap Arthur out of the trance and the man leapt to his feet.

"Merlin, what's happening?" The demanding tone in Arthur's voice meant that Virgil knew it was not a question, but an order. Merlin, however, just shook his head, trying to move closer to Scott.

"I don't know. He should have snapped out of it. He can't touch the sword though; it's not destined for his hand." Merlin seemed confused, almost as if he didn't know what was happening. Virgil got the feeling that was the only reason why he hadn't yet done anything to try and get the sword off Scott; he was trying to work out the best thing to do. He seemed to realise that Virgil was not going to let him use magic on Scott.

Not liking the sound of what was being talked about, especially as it was his brother in question, Virgil rolled his eyes and once again climbed to his feet. He took one step towards Scott, but that was as far as he got as Scott's hand finally closed around the hilt of the sword. Virgil didn't need to ask to know that was not a good thing - he could feel it. It was as if the air went cold and he told himself that he was imagining the unearthly scream that seemed to ring in his ears.

"Not again," Merlin moaned, pushing past Arthur so that he could get to Scott. This time, Virgil made no move to stop him. Not when Scott's whole body seemed to be rigid as he slowly lifted the sword from the desk and held it up so that the blade was parallel to his face. Virgil would have said that the image was certainly a kingly one if it hadn't been for the shivers running down his spine. Instead, Virgil found that he was taking a step back until he was closer to his father, not used to having to stand to one side when he knew that Scott was in trouble.

"_Wace ierlic!"_ Merlin shouted, his hand raised again. Arthur looked as if he was about to flinch back, but Virgil was too preoccupied by what was happening with Scott to truly pay him much attention. He knew that Merlin's magic had worked, although how, he couldn't say. It was as if he had just felt it. Yet Scott turned in almost slow motion, the sword angling towards the magic as he moved. There was a high-pitched scratching noise and Merlin's eyes widened in disbelief. He didn't have the chance to say anything before his own spell came back at him and blasted the warlock off his feet.

"Merlin!" Arthur's shout did nothing to stop Merlin flying across the room, hitting the opposite wall and sinking down to the floor in a heap. Arthur scrambled across to him and Virgil found that he was taking a small step forward as well, the medic in him wanting to know if he could help.

Arthur crouched down, checked Merlin's pulse and then stood up.

"He'll be fine, he's handled worse." Arthur might have been addressing Virgil, but his eyes were locked on Scott. Virgil could see the challenge burning in his gaze and knew the same protectiveness ran between the two friends as it did the brothers.

"It wasn't his fault; it's done something to him…" Virgil found himself muttering, his own look of protectiveness spiralling from his eyes. He was not going to let Arthur hurt Scott in retaliation.

"I know." Arthur muttered and the artist breathed a sigh of relief. Virgil had thought that he was going to have to continue his fight in order to get Arthur to listen to him. He had seen how the pair had been winding each other up all afternoon and had thought that the man would be glad for the chance to have a go at Scott without anyone stopping him. "It's why I still don't trust magic. I trust Merlin, but not magic."

"Right… um… what do we do?" Virgil didn't mean for his voice to come out sounding so uncertain, but Scott was still just standing there with the blade in his hand. Something told Virgil that trying to take it off him would result in a loss of limb rather than success. The last thing he wanted to admit was that it was completely unnerving him seeing his big brother standing there like that.

"We have to get him to put the sword down."

"Of course." Rolling his eyes, Virgil tried to take a step towards Scott. It seemed that Merlin tended to be the brains behind their operation, for Arthur looked as out of his depth as Virgil was feeling. When Scott didn't react to his movement, Virgil took another step and then a third. He kept going until he was almost next to Scott.

"Scotty? You going to put the sword down now?" Glancing over his shoulder, he saw his father nod encouragingly as the man began to edge around behind Scott. They were used to working as a team, there was no reason for this to be any different. Scott simply stood there and not being sure whether that was a good thing or not, Virgil took his chance. He had just stepped within reach of his brother when he realised that Arthur had been circling just as intently as they had.

"Duck!"

Virgil was used to following orders – especially when they were given in that tone of voice – and found himself obeying before he had truly realised that the order had come from Arthur. He was just in time; Scott's hand shot out to the side. If the blow had connected, it would have definitely pushed him back, if not knocked him out. Virgil let his body twist away, stumbling slightly when he made it to Arthur and had the man practically yank him to one side.

"Tell your father to back away."

"Why don't you tell him?"

"He's your father."

Arthur looked so genuinely confused about why he would be the one to tell Jeff something that Virgil knew he didn't have time to argue it out. It seemed that even if they weren't from the past, there was something odd about this pair. He turned back, only to find his father had overheard the whole exchange and had already moved out of Scott's reach.

"What do we do?"

"I need a sword."

"What?" Virgil stopped trying to edge back towards Scott and stared at Arthur. "Why would you want one?"

"Unless you have a better way of disarming him?"

Virgil gaped, trying to think of something to say. He knew that it made sense – Scott had never fought with a sword before and he had felt the way Arthur had been holding it earlier. King or not, Arthur knew how to handle a blade. It wasn't like they could use any of their normal weapons on Scott without first getting to Brains' office and finding the stun guns.

"Just… don't hurt him," Virgil muttered, not wanting to sound like he was worrying too much but ultimately knowing that he was failing. Scott was his brother, of course he was going to worry when a stranger who had snuck onto their island claimed that he wanted a sword so he could disarm said brother in order to force him to let go of a magical sword.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." Arthur's hand clapped onto Virgil's shoulder for a moment before he glanced back at Scott. Virgil followed his gaze and almost missed Arthur moving. He made it to the door without a sound and Virgil watched as he turned back towards Scott, annoyance in his eyes as he looked at the sword.

"Don't get too close to him," Arthur warned before disappearing down the hallway.

Virgil found he was blowing out a long breath as his father came to stand next to him.

"Ever wished for a boring day?" he muttered, hearing his father chuckle slightly as they, too, started edging towards the door. Scott took a step that way himself and both men froze. Scott didn't seem to notice their presence, but instead strode to the door. He was walking with a confidence that Virgil didn't think he had ever seen in his brother before, despite there being no way he would ever have described Scott as being modest.

His father grabbed his wrist and pulled him to one side as Scott passed, making sure they stayed out of his reach.

"He's heading the same way as Arthur."

"You go and help him, I'll get this one to the infirmary and check there has been no lasting damage."

Virgil nodded as his father motioned towards Merlin. Both men locked eyes for a moment, a silent plea for the other to be careful being said without words before Jeff gave Virgil a nudge towards the door.

"Go on, before he breaks something your grandmother deems to be irreplaceable."

Smiling at his father's attempt to lighten the mood, Virgil nodded and crept out after Scott. It was the first time in his life he didn't particularly want to be noticed by his big brother. Scott had not made it that far down the corridor, moving at a slow and controlled pace. Virgil hated the way it made him think that it was because nothing would be able to stand in his brother's way. But he was sure he should be grateful as Scott continued towards the lounge. At least he was heading straight towards Arthur rather than them having to then chase him around the island.

Virgil picked up his speed the closer he got to the lounge. Despite knowing that Arthur could probably be the one to disarm Scott, he had no desire to let them fight without him being there. He had seen the challenges the pair had been setting each other through their words all afternoon and had no desire to see if those same threats made themselves present in a fight. But just as he reached the doorway, he realised that he wasn't the only one approaching.

"Tin-Tin, go back!" Virgil didn't particularly want to draw attention to her, but Tin-Tin was coming in from the other door with absolutely no idea what she was about to – literally – walk into the middle of. But his call was too late and by the time Virgil had taken another couple of steps, Scott had somehow grabbed hold of her. Tin-Tin let out a startled gasp, but Virgil was just grateful she didn't try and pull away too much considering the deadly grip Scott had on the sword.

"Get out of my way!"

Virgil's question about what Scott thought he was doing was answered. Arthur was standing in the other doorway, a sword in his hand. The man shook his head, expertly twirling the weapon around in his grasp.

"Don't worry, My Lady, he won't hurt you."

Virgil had sidled into the room far enough to see by the look on Tin-Tin's face that it was taking her a moment to realise that Arthur was talking to her. Virgil wasn't sure how she was going to react, but couldn't stop a laugh escaping him as she blushed.

"Scott, what the hell are you doing? Let her go!"

Alan, apparently, didn't share Virgil's view that Arthur knew what he was doing. He instead charged in from the other end of the room, heading straight for them. Virgil knew that had it been any other weapon or anyone else holding it, Alan wouldn't have been so foolish as to run straight at them. Both Arthur and Virgil lunged for him as he ran past, but Alan dodged their hands as he aimed for his girlfriend. Scott, however, didn't miss and Virgil winced as Alan was thrown against a wall for the second time since they had got back from the rescue. Luckily, Scott had just lashed out with his free hand rather than the one holding a deadly weapon from a mythical time. Alan made to rise to his feet, but Arthur shot him a look of incredulity.

"Stay down, you fool. If he sees you as a threat, he'll eliminate you."

"He's got Tin-Tin…"

"Who he will not hurt because the sword's magic won't let him harm an innocent. If I were you, I would get the hell out of here before he sees you as a threat."

Virgil didn't think that Alan was going to listen. It wasn't as if he ever listened to his brothers when they told him to go. But unusually, Alan seemed to realise that Arthur wouldn't be afraid to force him to go rather than just threatening him. Not to mention that even Virgil had no desire to go against the grip that Arthur had on his sword. To his relief, Alan scrambled to his feet and hurried out of the door again but not before shooting Arthur such a venomous look that Virgil found himself biting back another laugh. It wasn't concern in his brother's eyes, it was jealousy.

"Now… what was his name again?"

"Scott."

"Now, Scott, let the lady go. She's not in your way; she is of no threat to you."

Virgil wasn't sure if Arthur was actually talking to his brother or to the sword. Moving further into the room so that he was able to get a better look at Scott's face, Virgil found himself gasping. There was a golden hue in Scott's eyes, the same that lit up Merlin's whenever he was about to do magic. It was clear that his brother was being taken over by something in the sword. Thankfully, however, Scott's grip on Tin-Tin slowly loosened and as soon as she could, the girl pulled herself free. Virgil reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from Scott and sending her towards the door.

"Go and find Alan and make sure he doesn't try anything stupid," Virgil instructed. Tin-Tin nodded and swiftly disappeared, knowing not to cross Virgil when he used that tone of voice. When it was just the three of them left, he looked at Arthur.

"What's happening to my brother?"

"Honestly? No idea," Arthur seemed to realise that did nothing to put Virgil's mind at ease and he swiftly pressed on. "Merlin has always gone on about the sword only being destined for my hand. If the magic was reaching… Oh." Arthur suddenly stopped, blinking as he stared at Scott.

"Oh?" Somehow, Virgil wasn't finding this any more comforting.

"Morgana had a dream someone would try and steal the sword. This must have been what she saw."

"He didn't steal anything, it was here all along," Virgil argued, finding that it simply wound him up that someone was even attempting to associate Scott with being a thief.

Arthur just glanced at him. "Her dreams aren't exactly clear. They've never explained to me how they work, it took them long enough to admit that her nightmares were more than just normal dreams. Trust me, I'm the last person you should be asking about this. He told Lancelot before me. How is that fair?"

"And back to Scott…" Virgil had a feeling he might have just touched on a topic this was neither the time nor the place for. Arthur blushed slightly and turned his attention back to the now approaching pilot. Arthur swallowed at how close Scott was getting, but Virgil could see the longing in his eyes as he looked towards the sword. Virgil wasn't sure if Arthur wanted to get the sword off Scott in order to save the man from what was happening, or just because he wanted it back in his own hands.

"When we were up against forces we couldn't defeat - normally Morgana's men - we had a plan that worked nearly every time."

"Good. What was it?"

"On the count of three…"

"Yes?"

"Run."

"What?"

"Go!"

Virgil didn't have time to protest as Arthur grabbed him by the back of the shirt and yanked him backwards. As Virgil struggled to maintain his footing, Arthur stepped in front of him, bringing up the borrowed sword. He was just in time as Scott suddenly brought his own arm down in an arc towards them. Virgil barely noticed the gasp that escaped him, but winced as the two swords clashed with an almighty bang. Arthur quickly danced out of the way, looping his sword around Scott's and forcing the pilot to turn as well if he wanted to maintain his grip on Excalibur.

Despite having been pushed towards the door, there was no way that Virgil was actually going to leave the room. It went against everything the Tracys stood for to leave one of their own to handle danger alone. Virgil knew – despite still not understanding any of this – the danger was coming from Scott himself, but that wasn't enough to make him move.

Scott and Arthur had begun to circle each other. Virgil swallowed nervously, feeling reassured by Scott's grip on the sword. From what he could make out, it was the same as Arthur's. Somehow, the sword knew how it needed to be handled and that was what enabled Scott to be fighting against Arthur. One of them would dart forward and there would be a trade of blows before they resumed circling again. Virgil bit his lip, finding his thumb on his watch and trying to connect through to either Gordon or their father so he didn't have to face this on his own. As Arthur circled around and saw Virgil still standing there, he rolled his eyes.

"Do you ever do as you are told?"

Despite the fact the man was at least the same age as him, Virgil found himself grinning. There was only one person in the room who even had the slightest chance of making Virgil do as he was told, and it wasn't Arthur.

"Nope." Virgil moved back into the room, but made sure he stayed out of reach of the swords.

"Scott, put the sword down."

"He can't hear you; the magic has a hold on him."

"I'll be the judge of that!" Virgil snapped, his eyes locking onto his brother. Scott had all of his attention focused on Arthur, but Virgil had a feeling Scott could hear him, despite Arthur's words. More than one person had commented on the link between Virgil and his oldest brother, and right now, Virgil found himself hoping that was true.

"Scotty. Come on, just put it down. You almost hurt Alan, big brother. That's not you. Just put it down, it's alright…" Virgil found that he was moving closer as he was speaking, hoping to reach out to his brother physically as well. But it seemed that he was not the only one to realise that Scott did appear to be listening and Arthur also started moving. Just as Scott appeared to be relaxing his grip on the weapon, Arthur lunged forward.

The movements were too quick for Virgil to really process what was happening. All that he knew was the clang of metal as the swords collided and the harsh pants coming from the two men wielding them. But just as suddenly as the attack had started, it finished again.

And Scott had somehow won.

Virgil knew that he was gaping even as his heart hammered hard in his chest. Arthur was on the floor, his sword just out of reach and Scott's foot casually resting over the hilt to stop him from picking it up again. Arthur didn't appear to be hurt, he just looked frustrated. He glanced at Virgil and grimaced.

"It's like the sword is recalling my fighting pattern. It's using my own habits against me," he explained, clearly not wanting Virgil to just think that he had lost. The artist found himself nodding anyway and continuing to move forward. After a few steps, he froze as Scott flicked the tip of Excalibur to rest under Arthur's chin. He knew he hadn't imagined the slight flicker of fear in Arthur's eyes before he schooled his expression into one of neutrality. Virgil also knew that he hadn't imagined the way Arthur had glanced towards the door, almost as if he was expecting someone to appear. Considering everything he had overheard and seen that day, Virgil knew he was almost hoping Merlin was just going to appear in time to save the day.

But Merlin didn't appear, and Virgil knew that he had to do something. Scott might not have hurt Tin-Tin if the sword's magic saw her as an innocent, but he knew that it had recognised Arthur as a threat. Right now, Arthur was defenceless, staring along his own blade at a man who had been taken over by the power of the weapon. Virgil took a deep breath and stepped forward. He kept moving until he was in between Scott and Arthur, forcing Scott to take a step back and lower the sword a little. Virgil wasn't happy with how close he still was to the blade, but at least it wasn't pointing directly at anyone any more.

"Stop!" he said firmly, wondering how his voice was coming out so steadily when his mind was screaming at him to find out what on earth was going on. Scott's eyes narrowed, but he didn't do anything else. Virgil wasn't sure whether to be reassured or not; he hadn't moved any closer but he also hadn't backed away either. While his brother had a magical sword in his hand, Virgil wasn't quite sure what to expect.

"Scott, stop it. Let go of the sword. Let Arthur take it back to wherever it is that it needs to go. They can't leave our island until you let go of that sword. Come on, just put it down."

Despite his earlier belief that some part of Scott could still hear him, Virgil wasn't so sure that was the case anymore. There was nothing but gold in his brother's eyes and the hand holding the sword was steady. Virgil sighed, shaking his head slightly before making sure that he was directly in between the two men.

"You're going to have to go through me first, Scott," he said quietly, ignoring Arthur's intake of breath behind him. He knew if anything would get through to Scott, it would be this. He had been desperately hoping it would work, so when Scott simply blinked before lifting the sword again, Virgil wondered if he had just made a big mistake.

"Get out of the way!" Arthur hissed. Virgil could feel something hit the back of his leg and knew Arthur had just hit him as an attempt to get him out of the way. Virgil simply steadied himself and shook his head, not looking away from Scott.

"It might be your sword, but it's my brother," he said firmly, not leaving any room for arguments in his voice. Scott didn't stop, but continued to lift the sword. It was only when he began driving it forward again that Virgil realised the magic had too much of a hold and there was no way that Scott was going to stop.

He looked away, screwing his eyes shut as he did so. But a moment passed and there wasn't the pain he expected. As another moment passed, Virgil slowly opened his eyes again. To his surprise, his hand was up, although it instantly dropped back to his side the second he realised where it was. Not quite daring to breathe, he slowly twisted back around to face his brother. Scott was staring at the sword as if he didn't quite know what he was looking at, but the gold in his eyes was still as strong as ever. Only when Virgil looked towards the sword did he realise why he was still alive.

The sword had stopped in mid-air. It wasn't Scott who had stopped it though, it was almost as if it had become stuck in a wall of air, being held completely motionless. As Arthur jumped to his feet, Virgil could only stare.

"Magic," the ex-king breathed and Virgil automatically looked around for Merlin. But there was no one there and he felt his breath catch even as Arthur stared at him with wide eyes. Somehow, he didn't need to ask. How it was possible, he had no idea. How he knew about it he didn't know, either. But somehow, Virgil knew that the sword was stuck because he had made it happen.

He had done something magical to stop Scott from killing him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Nearly done on this now. Thank you so much once again for all of the support.**

It didn't seem to matter what lifetime he was in, Merlin had never been one to regain consciousness slowly. Instead of gradually coming round, the warlock would find himself almost catapulted back into alertness, and this time was no different. One second he knew nothing at all, and the next he was jerking awake, instantly sitting up and trying to work out where he was. It took a moment of rapid blinking for him to realise he was on a bed in what seemed to be a hospital. But that surely couldn't be right as he had been on an island with Arthur and… Arthur!

"Easy, son, just lie back a moment." The hand on his shoulder that accompanied the words gave Merlin little choice but to fall back again and he couldn't help but let out a groan. He had never truly been on the receiving end of one of his spells before, and had a spilt-second of sympathy for those he had stunned in the past – it hurt! But then he thought about how they had been attempting to kill Arthur or someone else he cared about and knew that a spinning head was a blessing compared to what he should (and could) have done to them.

Merlin shook his head slightly, forcing his thoughts back into the present. As he focused his gaze, he could see the father looking down at him, a kind expression on his face when he realised Merlin was studying him intently. Slowly rolling his head first to one side, then the other, Merlin realised he had been both right and wrong about where he was. He was still on the island, that was for sure. But the room did seem to mirror that of a hospital and Merlin realised that was precisely its use. It made sense; he had heard about the danger this family put themselves in on a regular basis. It seemed only natural there would be injuries along the way and it wasn't as if they could go across to a local hospital and still maintain their secrecy.

But once he was done analysing the room, Merlin realised he had an even bigger problem.

Arthur wasn't in it.

Merlin wasn't used to being the one hurt. It usually fell to Arthur to be injured and for Merlin to deal with the threat while his destiny was out cold. But it seemed fate had decided it was time for things to happen the other way around and had instead rendered Merlin unconscious. Wondering if that meant Arthur had decided to deal with the threat himself, Merlin couldn't deny the alarm that shot through him at the thought. It wasn't that he could doubt Arthur's passion or courage; he threw himself head first into any situation that arose. But the sword was magical, and even Merlin couldn't predictwhat would be happening now that the wrong person – yet again – had picked it up.

He didn't realise that he had sat up and swung his legs over the bed until there was once again a hand on his shoulder, attempting to prevent him from rising.

"You should lie still, you took quite the hit."

"I have to get to him," Merlin attempted to explain, ducking out from under the grip and making it to his feet. He was forced to cling onto the bed for a moment in order to regain his balance. The idea of Arthur trying to solve a magical issue was not one Merlin particularly wanted to think about, but he knew the ex-king would feel like he had no choice. Merlin knew Arthur, far better than the man realised. Excalibur was forged for him and so Merlin knew Arthur saw it as his sword. The fact that something of his was causing trouble to bystanders was not going to be something that Arthur would just let go. He would feel duty-bound to try and solve the problem and Merlin sometimes really hated that fact.

"Get to who? I think they are all in the lounge. At least, that was where they were heading and I haven't heard them leave."

Merlin nodded, already beginning to allow the magic to fill him up. He wasn't sure what the situation was going to be, but knew that he had to be on his guard in order to make sure nothing could happen to Arthur. He strode towards the doors, impressed with how steadily he seemed to be able to walk, and used magic to flick them open just before he got there. But once he was out in the hallway, Merlin found he was biting his lip, glancing one way and then the other. Eventually, he looked back into the room and the man pointed to the left.

"First door on your right," he muttered quietly, obviously having worked out by Merlin's expression what the issue was. Merlin shot him a fleeting smile of gratitude and hurried in the direction indicated.

He had only made it a few steps, however, when something stopped him in his tracks. He couldn't quite place the feeling, but he knew it was something powerful. It was magic, but a different sort to anything he had ever felt. The feeling made his own magic want to respond and Merlin could feel his eyes beginning to glow despite not having called upon his power. Snapping himself out of his daze, the warlock swiftly hurried on, knowing it couldn't be good to have Arthur close to something this powerful. He had stopped thinking about finding the lounge again, but instead was letting his magic lead him, honing in on this power and allowing that to guide his way. He was pushing open a door before he truly realised it was the one that had been mentioned.

The sight that greeted him, however, once again brought Merlin to a stop.

Arthur was on his feet, but he was weapon-less. A quick glance around revealed a sword trapped under Scott's foot and Merlin had to fight to keep the smile off his face. Arthur was not going to be happy at losing to someone who had never held a sword before today. But as Merlin let his gaze fall onto the other member of the room, he felt his heart catch in his chest.

He knew instantly where the source of the magic was coming from. Virgil probably didn't even realise his eyes were a blazing gold and his arm was twitching as if it wanted to rise to his defence. His gaze was locked on something at shoulder height and Merlin found himself looking that way as well. He felt his jaw drop at seeing Excalibur seemingly stuck in mid-air. He knew the sorcery that had gone into forging that sword, he knew there wasn't supposed to be any power on earth that could combat its magic_. _Yet somehow, Virgil was managing to hold it at bay. Scott, too, was staring at the sword as if he didn't realise what it was he was looking at. Merlin sidled into the room, trying his utmost to not draw attention to his arrival.

Not knowing whether Virgil realised what he was doing or not meant he didn't want to break the man's concentration. Merlin knew that if Virgil should let go of the magic, there was every chance the sword would just continue on its path. Right now, Virgil was still in that path, and Merlin wasn't going to risk it. Not when he hadn't even realised that magic could be used to stop the sword.

Neither Scott nor Virgil were moving and Merlin wondered whether it was just a reaction to the magic that was happening around them or whether the magic itself was doing something to keep them motionless. Merlin had never quite understood the rules of what it was he could do - he had always relied on Gaius to provide the explanations as to why he could move things with just a thought. Arthur, however, was trying to edge around the pair, clearly attempting to work out a way of getting the sword without causing any harm to anyone. But while it might have only taken a light prompting to get him to pull the sword out of the stone all that time ago, Merlin knew he had more doubts about taking it now, when it was obvious there was magic holding it still. Sometimes, Merlin wished that Arthur would just let go of all of his doubts surrounding magic, but he knew now was not the time to address that matter.

Sneaking further into the room, Merlin was just thinking about possible ways of getting Scott to let go of the sword when his foot stubbed against something. Merlin was impressed that he didn't let out a gasp of surprise, but he could do nothing to stop his fall. Out of the corner of his eye, he was vaguely aware of Arthur turning to look at him, exasperation on his face as Merlin's arms windmilled for a moment as he fought to keep his balance. He was out of luck, though, and braced himself as he thudded down on the floor. He had hoped after walking the earth for all of this time, that he might have left some of his clumsiness behind, but fate never had liked him. He hit the ground with a thud, wincing as he glanced back over.

Virgil was moving slightly, and to Merlin's horror, so was the sword. He had hit the floor hard enough to distract the man from the magic and now it seemed that his hold was weakening. Merlin looked around wildly and caught Arthur's eye. He knew in Arthur's expression that he too had seen the movement of the sword and knew that Virgil still hadn't cleared its path. Merlin sat up, letting his magic bubble to the surface once again as he prepared to strike out. He might not have been able to hold the sword, but he could at least move Virgil out of the way.

Arthur softly cleared his throat, drawing the warlock's attention back to him again. Merlin frowned at the hand gesture that Arthur was giving him. He never had understood it, never knew what it was that Arthur had been trying to tell him. Considering how frozen the other occupants of the room were, Merlin had a feeling it would just be easier if Arthur opened his mouth and spoke; it wasn't as if they were paying any attention to what was going on around them. Arthur rolled his eyes at the blank look Merlin knew must be crossing his face and motioned again. His gestures were bigger this time and Merlin felt an irrational surge of pride shoot through him when he _finally_ understood what Arthur was trying to say.

What he wasn't sure about, however, was whether it would work.

He bit his lip, sitting up straighter and making it into a crouch as he tried to work out the positioning of Scott in relation to Arthur. He knew that Arthur was still sending him signals, clearly trying to tell Merlin to hurry up with deciding whether it was worth the risk or not. Strategy had always been left to Arthur – Merlin just tended to hide and throw out magic when he could. But considering the nature of the threat, Arthur seemed to be asking Merlin whether it was worth the risk or not. It seemed magic still made him the sword let out another quiver, Arthur threw his hands up in exasperation and stepped forward.

Making sure he had the magic ready to react in case things looked like they were going to go wrong, Merlin finally made it into a standing position once again. Just as he had found his feet, however, Arthur threw himself off his. But unlike Merlin's fall, the ex-king had a purpose in mind as he toppled his body forward. Merlin let out a rush of magic, moving Virgil back a few paces and making sure that he had a shield of sorts wrapped tightly around Arthur, but he knew there was nothing more he could do other than watch and wait as Arthur dove forward.

The man caught Scott around the waist. It almost seemed to be happening in slow motion and Merlin wondered wildly whether he had accidentally slowed down time just to make sure that Arthur wouldn't be hurt. But as Arthur crashed into Scott, pulling him off his feet, Merlin knew it was just like any other situation where they had been in trouble and he could do nothing but watch and hope that Arthur had been right in his plan.

As Arthur barrelled into Scott, the latter was forcibly pulled backwards, his balance going as Arthur's momentum carried them both towards the floor. There was a second of resistance, a second where alertness came back into Scott's eyes and it was as if his hand instantly tightened around the hilt of the sword. But one hand could not match the weight of two men and as his balance was knocked away, Scott's hand slid free of the sword. Merlin winced as they crashed down to the ground in a tangle of limbs, but found he was blowing out a breath of relief at the same time. Scott had let go of the sword, and even as Merlin watched, it clattered harmlessly to the ground.

Arthur regained his senses far quicker than Merlin thought possible, lunging for the sword and letting his hand close around the hilt. A warm breeze blew through the air and Merlin wasn't sure whether he was the only one who could see the golden light bathing the Once and Future King as Arthur breathed in deeply, his back straightening as he did so. But then the moment passed, and he became nothing more than a man standing there with a sword in his hand.

Scott let out a groan, sitting up and rubbing his head as he glanced around in confusion. At the same time, Virgil stumbled back a step, tripping over his own feet. Luckily, the sofa was right behind him, allowing him to fall back in an ungainly heap as he ran a hand through his hair, staring at his brother. Merlin watched them for a moment, making sure nothing else was about to happen before glancing at Arthur. The man was watching him, and Merlin knew that touching the sword had given him a sense of purpose - a destiny - once again. Whatever he had been brought back for, Arthur now knew what that was. Merlin just wondered if his destiny would tell him before or after he got dragged into some crazy scheme.

He frowned at Arthur, but even when the man caught his gaze, he simply shook his head. Whatever it was that Arthur was feeling, he wasn't ready to try and explain it just yet. Merlin wasn't sure whether it was because they were in front of other people or because Arthur was still trying to process it, but he didn't push it.

For now, however, he just dipped his head in respect to his king. Arthur nodded back, but before either of them could say anything, Scott's voice cut through the air.

"What the hell just happened?"

"Merlin can explain," Arthur responded smugly, sitting himself down and looking at the sword, ignoring everyone else in the room.

"I hate you," Merlin told him and Arthur simply smirked.

"No, you don't."

This time, Merlin had no comeback and found himself trying to explain about the magic surrounding the sword to two very confused men.

-X-

"How are you feeling?"

Virgil glanced up just in time to see Scott hand him a mug of coffee and smiled in gratitude at his brother. Taking it with a sigh Virgil grinned.

"Okay. You?"

It had been twenty-four hours since Merlin and Arthur had left the island, forty-eight since Scott had dropped the sword. If he was honest, Virgil wasn't sure he was any less confused now than he had been all those hours ago, despite the numerous attempts to explain what had gone on.

If he understood (and believed) it correctly, those two had been the _actual_ Merlin and Arthur, Arthur having been brought back to life. Merlin had initially admitted that he had no idea why Arthur had come back, but the man himself had been frowning thoughtfully at the sword. He hadn't let it go since taking it off Scott and when he had spoken, his voice was quiet and strong. Arthur had said he felt like he had to help, he had to stop the world from being torn apart from the chaos that these constant disasters was causing. But when Merlin had asked how, Virgil hadn't been watching Arthur. He had been watching Scott.

There had been a thoughtful look on his brother's face, almost as if he was weighing something up. With one jerk of his head, he and Arthur had disappeared and the remaining two had been left to guess what was happening. Half an hour later and they were back again, both grinning. It didn't take much prompting for Arthur to admit that Jeff had effectively just made him and Merlin agents. It wasn't going to be as straightforward as that, but Arthur had already spoken about the sword almost giving him a direction, as if it knew where he needed to be in order to help people. With that guiding them and Merlin's magic being used to help, there was the potential for them to handle rescues close to their home. Not on the scale of International Rescue, but in cases where people weren't quite sure if the emergency services could handle it on their own or not. The amount of times Virgil found they were called out to something that really didn't need them made their job so much harder. They still needed to run through the checks on the 'birds and debrief. Things that took time, time they didn't seem to have considering how many times they had been called out over the past few months.

Virgil had been dubious. Even if the pair knew where to go, they would be able to cover so little ground that they would never get there in time. That had been when Merlin had sat bolt upright, eyes gleaming with excitement as he started gabbling something about someone dreaming the future. Arthur hadn't looked too happy, but even he had to admit that Merlin might have a point. Virgil had honestly decided that he didn't want to know, but it was the look on Scott's face that had him frowning. His brother was looking like he believed what he was being told and Virgil had to wonder precisely what the sword had done to his brother to make him accept this as something rational.

Despite having their doubts about it all, and whether it would ever actually work, the hostility that had been present at their arrival on the island had completely disappeared as Gordon had started up the plane. Scott hadn't been happy about Gordon being given the job of flying Arthur and Merlin back over to England, but their father had rather firmly pointed out that they had no rational explanation for what had just happened to him and there was no way he would be cleared as safe to fly until they knew for sure. Merlin had promised that there would be no long-term effects, but Virgil knew his father wasn't accepting that on just his say so. The man was still trying to process what had happened as it was; there was no way he would be taking any unnecessary risks. Scott had scowled, but seemed to realise there was no way he was going to be able to get him to change his mind.

Scott's sulk, however, was swiftly forgotten as Arthur realised how they were getting back. Merlin had been forced to use magic on him to get the man to move into the plane, looking at Virgil beseechingly to help. Virgil had rapidly shaken his head and backed away. If he happened to have stepped behind his father, then no one said anything about it. He had no idea what had happened in the lounge, but he did know that it didn't seem to be happening again - and he never wanted it to. He was more than happy just relying on machinery to do the job for him, he didn't need anything more than that. But it had still been somewhat amusing to watch Arthur fight against an invisible force as he was pulled onto the plane, Merlin's reassurances that everything would be fine clearly falling on deaf ears. Virgil found himself thinking that it would be a useful trick to know when one of his brothers refused to leave his room, but he caught the thought before it went any further than that. Quick to push it to one side, Virgil had found himself glancing around almost to make sure that no one else had guessed what he was thinking. He knew he would never live it down if Gordon ever realised the thoughts that were going through his head, though Gordon had been too busy running pre-flight checks to notice anything.

But finally, with a last promise of being there to help should they ever need it and a vow to try and aid them as much as possible, the two strangers were gone from the island as suddenly as they had arrived. The remaining family had just stood there and watched as the plane became a speck in the distance, ignoring Scott's commentary on Gordon's handling of the craft. No one had quite seemed to know what to say, and Virgil knew that Scott was avoiding his eye. Arthur had informed Scott of precisely what happened and despite Virgil's claims that he just wanted to forget about it, he knew that Scott was feeling bad for what had happened. Pointing out that he had basically been possessed by a magical sword had done little to ease Scott's guilt.

Another twenty-four hours later, however, and Virgil felt like they had finally worked through it all. He still had a slight headache, but Merlin had told him that was normal. Scott almost seemed to be sitting on his hands and jumping at small noises, but when Gordon realised and so was trying everything possible to get a reaction, it had stopped being a concern as it turned into something amusing, then finally an annoyance, causing their father to have to interfere to stop Scott from murdering his younger brother.

Curling his legs up under him, Virgil blew on his coffee, watching Scott out of the corner of his eye. He was looking around awkwardly, almost if he didn't know how to react after what had happened the last time they had been in here. Eventually, he gave in and sat down on the sofa. It didn't escape Virgil's notice that he kept a little distance between them. Wanting to prove his brother was being an idiot, Virgil swivelled until he could dump his feet over Scott's lap. Scott seemed to tense, and Virgil honestly believed that his brother was about to pull away, but he finally settled and the look on his face cleared slightly. Not realising that Scott's tension had been rubbing off on him, Virgil grinned, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from him as well.

"Idiot," he muttered fondly, prodding Scott with his toe and shaking his head when his brother looked at him quizzically. Virgil waited, but Scott didn't take the insult as a hint to start talking and Virgil rolled his eyes. Realising that Scott wasn't going to say anything, he decided it was up to him and so pressed as to why Scott had left the room twenty minutes before.

"Who was on the phone?"

Scott glanced over, offering him a small smile.

"Gwaine."

"As in..?"

"As in the same Gwaine that you met, yes. As in the one who is close friends with another couple of people. The same one."

"How the hell did he get our number?"

Scott grimaced, but Virgil could see that his eyes seemed to twinkle slightly.

"Apparently if you give John a few hours, he will have figured it out."

Virgil laughed, feeling more of the weight being lifted from him as he did so. His brother certainly didn't like admitting defeat to anything, that was for sure.

"Has it crossed your mind that Gordon might have given it to them?"

"What?"

"Well, you saw how friendly he was with them, even when they were still in the silos."

"You really think he would just give him our number?"

Virgil shrugged at Scott's question. "It's Gordon."

This time, the older brother had no comeback and the two just sat side by side, not really knowing what to say. Virgil was waiting for Scott to break the silence, knowing his brother had something on his mind that he clearly didn't know how to express. Virgil couldn't forget how Scott had reacted when he had first seen Merlin use magic and knew the events of the last couple of days had thrown everything Scott thought he knew out of the window.

"Do you think it was really…well, you know…?"

"Say the word, Scott," Virgil muttered teasingly, only a hint of seriousness underlying his tone. He wasn't even sure why he felt so at ease with what had happened. Maybe he had always been the more open-minded out of the pair of them, or maybe it was because of what he had done. Maybe it was even because he had seen what both the Hood and Kyrano could do and had almost accepted that their stowaways had been genuine even before Merlin had displayed his powers. Virgil had no idea, but he was finding it a little amusing that Scott couldn't seem to say the word.

"You know what I'm talking about."

"What if I don't? What if I think you are talking about something completely different only to find that is not the case?" Virgil had to laugh at the withering glare that Scott shot him, coupled with his feet being shoved from his brother's lap as the man stood up.

"Fine, fine, you're talking about the magic. At least, I'm assuming you are…" Virgil trailed off. He had been joking, but now he wasn't so sure that was what Scott was talking about. He could have been talking about the sword and whether that had been genuine. Arthur had refused to let go of it, and when Scott realised that they were preparing to take it off the island, he couldn't get rid of them quick enough. Virgil knew not to be surprised, Scott wouldn't want it left around after what had happened in case something happened again. Although Virgil had been able to protect himself, Scott had still been out of control. Luckily, this time Scott seemed to realise that Virgil was genuinely confused about what was being talked about and came and sat back down again.

It wasn't just Scott who was glad the sword was gone, however. Merlin had explained that Virgil's ability to protect himself had been drawn fromthe sword's magic. He had the potential there at all times, but it was as if it was locked away. Scott's mind being taken over by the sword's power unlocked Virgil's potential and allowed him to use the magic to protect himself. Merlin had said he was the magic to Scott's steel, that they balanced each other, and the upset of that balance had allowed Virgil to draw on talents he didn't know he had. Merlin had obviously seen the alarm on Virgil's face for he had quickly explained that if the sword was to be removed, the threat that had sparked off their hidden destinies would be also removed and the ability would go.

"Yes, I mean the m… the magic?"

Virgil refrained from making a comment this time.

"I felt something, Virg. It was like I knew what I was doing but I just couldn't stop myself. It wasn't just that, either, I felt like I knew how to fight."

"Arthur said that the sword had memorised his fighting pattern and was acting it out through you," Virgil supplied, thinking about what he had been told and trying to see if he could make Scott feel better. Despite the mood his brother was in, Virgil knew it was just because he hadn't understood what was going on and hated for any situation to be out of his control.

"So it really was magic?"

"Maybe." Virgil didn't really know what to say. It didn't matter how much he was teasing Scott, it still seemed quite surreal to be saying it himself.

"What do we do now? I mean, now that we know."

"Know what? That magic exists? C'mon Scott, you aren't really going to let it change anything are you? Those two are gone, and despite the promises that they'll be helping as much as they can – you know Merlin said he was going to let us know if any of these prophetic dreams involved us? – we aren't going to be coming in contact with them or that damn sword again. If you ask me, it happened, it's done and finished. I, for one, am taking this lull in rescues as a chance to get some sleep."

Virgil drained the rest of his coffee and stood up. He forced his mug back into his brother's hand, grinning as Scott accepted it without seeming to realise what he was doing. Heading towards the stairs, Virgil paused as Scott called him back.

"You know it is eleven in the morning right? Why are you going to bed?"

"Because for all we know there could be a rescue at midnight tonight and I plan to be awake for it." Virgil turned on his heel and continued on his journey. Hearing Scott grumble behind him, he had to grin as he moved towards his room. His brother had been trying to get a sense of normality back ever since Merlin and Arthur left. Virgil thought this was the perfect way of achieving it.

But even as he crashed down on his bed and felt the remaining tension drain from his body, he knew that they couldn't really put these events behind them. It didn't matter what their views were on what had happened or whether they truly thought it was magic or not. The only thing that Virgil was really bothered about was the fact there were now a few more people in the world to help them.

As sleep claimed him despite the time of day, that was good enough for him.


	10. Chapter 10

_Last and final chapter! Thank you so much to all of you who have followed/reviewed this. A massive thank you to Bee for being an awesome beta again, despite the trouble we had with this story!_

_Hope you like the last chapter!_

* * *

"…good, now put in the time. No, not there... DON'T TOUCH THAT! This one here, you put in the numbers there, you see…"

"What are they doing?" Morgana glanced quizzically at Merlin. The warlock looked around from the mirror where he was still trying to get soot off his face and grinned. The new house was even better than the old, bigger and more adept to their needs.

"Percival has decided that it is time Arthur knew how to use the oven without the risk of blowing everything up. I think he has been on edge ever since the fire, especially as we still aren't sure how it started."

"Actually…"

Merlin turned completely at the sheepish tone in Morgana's voice, frowning at her when she didn't seem to want to meet his gaze.

"Morgana…" One could only hear the warning note in Merlin's voice when they were listening for it. It didn't seem to matter that they were on the same side in this lifetime, Morgana was the one person who reacted to that warning. She knew what Merlin could do; she knew what he_ would_ do in order to protect those he cared about. Merlin also knew that she was fully aware that if she gave them any reason to doubt whose side she was on, they would cast her out before she could so much as protest. She had caused too much damage in the past for them to take any risksnow.

She blushed slightly at Merlin's stare and Merlin forced himself to soften it slightly. "I think I might have started it," she eventually admitted, her voice soft and low.

Merlin blinked at her, trying to think back to the events of that day. It was almost a month ago now. The return flight from Tracy Island had been one of the most harrowing and hilarious Merlin thought he had ever been on. Arthur had been distracted when they had sneaked over there, there were other dangers to keep his mind off the fact they were flying. But with Gordon happily chatting away about nothing in particular, the ex-king had been utterly terrified over the fact they were suspended in the air with absolutely nothing between them and the ground apart from a lot of space. Of course, in true Arthur-style, he hadn't admitted how scared he had been and just had taken to snapping at everyone who could hear him, including an amused Virgil when Gordon made contact to check weather conditions.

It was harder to say who had been more relieved when they had finally touched down again, although Merlin had believed Arthur's fists were never going to unclench again.

But after a night's sleep, Merlin knew that Arthur was beginning to take his new responsibility seriously. He still hadn't spoken about what the sword had made him feel when he had first held it and Merlin knew not to push. He knew that Arthur would come clean eventually and until that happened, nothing would make the stubborn man open up about why he believed he'd come back from Avalon. Even with Arthur keeping quiet, though, Merlin knew he had agreed to a plan in order to try and help International Rescue.

Naturally, they had told their friends almost immediately. Their words were met with doubt and suspicion considering the secrecy that surrounded the rescue organisation, but eventually they managed to get them to believe that they truly had been on the island and they now had a duty to try and help out. Merlin had taken Morgana to one side, the pair talking quietly for hours about her dreams and how she might be able to channel them in order to identify potential rescues that Merlin and Arthur could handleto take some of the load off the Tracys. Merlin knew they were never going to be able to do much, they didn't have the mobility to get around in the same way, but there were still some things they can deal with. They could still help.

But two days after that, a cheque had arrived in the post. Arthur had almost fallen over when Merlin had explained in Camelot terms how much it was worth, but they both knew who it was from. It was enough for them to buy some equipment themselves, albeit it only the basic things that they could buy from the local shops. They had made themselves known to the local emergency services as a starting point and spent out on any supplies they needed. By the time they were done, Merlin knew they were as well-prepared and connected as they were ever going to be. Percival had offered some training about the best ways to tackle fires (although Merlin was sure he was really hoping it would teach Arthur how to handle electrics safely) and the rest of the team had joined in when they realised what was going on.

Between them, they had a wide enough skill set to cover some of the basics that might be needed to help out. After spending so long walking the earth alone, Merlin had forgotten the thrill of learning something new, but he did draw the line when Gwaine offered to teach them how to defend themselves. Arthur's eyes might have lit up, but Merlin knew how attached to his sword the man had become since they had brought it home with them. The last thing that he wanted was for Arthur to learn how to use a gun. Merlin had a feeling their problems would have only just been beginning if that was the case.

But despite being set up and ready to go, they still had the issue of knowing where they needed to be and actually managing to get there in time to help. For the first few days, they had come skidding onto the scene in Gwaine's car just as the Thunderbirds were leaving, and Merlin had been able to sense how frustrated Arthur was that they weren't managing to make a difference at all. They would have made it if Gwaine and Percival hadn't decided to argue about which route was quickest and cost them precious time trying to get there. International Rescue had clearly heard the calls continuing to come in and realised they were needed after all.

Then Morgana's magic had grown stronger again. Merlin had spent night after night sitting by her side, helping her to channel the visions until she could focus on what they needed rather than meaningless images that helped them in no way. The first time they managed to control a fire that the emergency services couldn't get a hold on – Merlin knew they were never going to admit that they were using magic to control a blazeand if Arthur had taken this long to be comfortable with the use of magic, then what would the rest of the world be like? – it had been a feeling of success, a feeling of purpose. Merlin had almost watched the weight lift off Arthur's shoulders as they managed to actually make a difference and Merlin knew it had something to do with whatever it was that had caused Arthur's return. He just hoped the man would come clean and admit what that was any day now; Merlin had never been the most patient of people.

But right now, Merlin moved across the room and sat down next to Morgana. They had just got back from another fire, and Merlin was beginning to feel like they were finally getting the hang of working together in order to not only deal with the incident, but make sure that no one was asking too many questions about how they were able to do it when others weren't. The magic helped, but Merlin couldn't do it all by himself, he needed the others. They tended to be enough of a distraction for no one to see his eyes flaring gold. After all, he had gone through one lifetime hiding his magic, why should it be so different this time? But with Percival distracting Arthur in the kitchen, Merlin knew that Morgana had been waiting until it was just the two of them to explain about the fire; he could see it in her face.

"How would you have been able to start it? You were right there with us."

Morgana studied the floor for a moment before taking a deep breath and meeting Merlin's eyes.

"We were talking about Excalibur, weren't we? We were talking about something from our past. My magic had only just been beginning to come back again and I felt it react to the fact we were all talking about our past lives. You remember how I think I started a blaze the first time I found out I had magic? I think I might have done that again. Then as we panicked trying to get out, the magic lost control and started more fires."

Merlin had to admit, that made sense. They had made the most of their new contacts in order to try and establish precisely what had happened that day, but nothing had been revealed. There had been no one near the house, nothing had been found to show that the fire had been started maliciously and Merlin knew he had sensed something magical that day. But what scared him was how strong Morgana's magic had been. He hadn't been able to douse the flames; he had only just been able to stop them all from being killed.

Some of his thoughts must have shown on his face, for Morgana leant forward and clutched at his arm.

"I didn't mean to, I swear, it just happened, I…"

"You saw Excalibur being stolen?"

Morgana snapped her mouth shut and nodded. Merlin could see the question in her eyes, though. Arthur had assumed that what she had seen had been when Scott had taken hold of the sword. She hadn't been able to describe the person in her vision, so they had all taken it in the same way she had; someone stealing the sword rather than someone helping to get it back to them. Merlin frowned, thinking hard.

"I think your magic was trying to force the dream to come true. If you hadn't have seen it, we wouldn't have gone and Arthur wouldn't have got it back. Your magic hasn't been that strong since and I don't think it is going to be again. But I think it knew what mine didn't and knew that destiny needed a helping hand this time."

Morgana didn't respond, but Merlin wasn't surprised. She had never really had a destiny in the same way, just prophecies predicting who would be her downfall. Seeing that she still looked worried even as he stood up, Merlin squeezed her shoulder gently.

"Thank you. If we hadn't got it back and it had somehow revealed itself to them, there would be no telling what would have happened." Merlin wasn't going to admit that he didn't think the sword would have revealed itself if they hadn't been there, but his words still did the trick and Morgana relaxed.

"Who's happening when?"

Merlin turned to see Arthur walking into the room, looking pleased with himself. The warlock's eyes slid behind him to where Percival was following and he could only just bite back a laugh. To say that the man looked exasperated was an understatement and Merlin was sure he wasn't imaging the slightly singed look to his clothes. It didn't matter how many lifetimes Arthur lived, Merlin had a feeling he would never be able to operate anything in the kitchen. If he was honest, Merlin wouldn't put it past Arthur to be doing it on purpose just so he never had to cook. But right now, his attention was distracted by the way Arthur was looking at him so expectantly. Cursing the fact that he had managed to maintain his kingly stare and make Merlin feel like he had to respond, the warlock proceeded to explain what they had just been talking about. Arthur looked thoughtful, for once seeming to agree with Merlin's idea that Morgana's magic was trying to force events into taking place.

"Are you going to tell us why you are back yet?" Aiming for a casual tone, Merlin knew it had been lost as Arthur shot him an amused look. His every attempt to find out why Arthur had returned had resulted in less subtlety every time and now he sounded nothing short of rude. To his surprise, Arthur smiled.

"I suppose it is about time you found out."

"You'll tell us? Really? What is it? What do we have to do? Where do we need to go? It's to do with the sword, isn't it..?"

"Merlin?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

Merlin suddenly realised that he hadn't exactly been giving Arthur a chance to explain why he was back. He blushed and fell silent, but just as Arthur opened his mouth, the phone rang.

All four of them glanced at each other for a moment. To Merlin's surprise, Arthur was the first to get up. He moved across the room and picked up the phone, staring at it in concentration for a long moment before hitting a button. Merlin snorted in amusement when he heard that Arthur had managed to put it straight onto the loudspeaker, but then scrambled up himself when he heard Scott's voice through the phone.

"_We need your help."_

The rest of the phone call was lost on Merlin as Percival took the phone and began jotting down information about where they needed to be. Morgana looked apologetic that her dream hadn't picked up on this particular rescue, but Merlin grabbed Arthur's arm.

"Why, Arthur? Why are you back?" A few more seconds wasn't going to make any difference to when they arrived at the scene, especially since Percival was still on the phone. Now Arthur had said that he was going to actually tell them, Merlin was making sure the moment was not lost. He needed to know, for without knowing why Arthur was back, he had no idea what he was supposed to be working towards himself.

"This," Arthur said simply, tilting his head towards the phone.

That was not the answer Merlin had been expecting and there was only one thing he could say to it.

"Huh?"

"The sword showed me something," Arthur continued, his voice soft even as he watched Percival taking down notes. "It showed me a world being consumed by flames and water. It was dark, Merlin, everything was dark and the only thing I could hear was screaming. But then we appeared. We came through the flames, and the Tracys were with us. I think this is what I came back for. This world is being torn apart right now, and its saviours are struggling to find the strength to keep saving. We can change that, we can help them. I think that is why I'm back. We're going to save the world, Merlin."

As Arthur walked off in order to get himself ready for whatever rescue it was that they were about to be sent on, Merlin found himself grinning. He had thought his destiny had pressed down on him enough when he had been helping Arthur become the Once and Future King.

Now, apparently, he had to help him save the world.

Merlin felt his grin widen as he took off after Arthur, not wanting the man to even attempt to drive the car himself. He had never done things the easy way up until now.

Why should Arthur's return make that any different?


End file.
